


Voiceless

by DanaEliza



Category: Naruto
Genre: Fluff, M/M, No voice, Romance, Speech Disorders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-04
Updated: 2013-10-04
Packaged: 2017-12-28 09:46:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 41,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/990590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DanaEliza/pseuds/DanaEliza
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Itachi is new to the school and slowly gets to know Deidara who has no voice. He sees how happy Deidara still is, eventhough he has a handicap. Something that annoys Itachi in the beginning, but he slowly grows closer to the blonde. Will it eventually change him?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. An old friend

**Author's Note:**

> Reposting this from fanfiction!

Itachi was looking out over the school grounds, leaning against his car lazily. Konoha high school, his new school where he had been transferred to after his family and he had moved again. He disliked going to new schools and getting to know new people again. His family moved a lot, so he didn't really have a choice. This had happened so many times already and he didn't even bother with making friends anymore. Although he did know one guy who also went to this school. They had met on a trip years back. Both with their families and to get away from the family get-togethers, they had hang out a lot.

Now Itachi was waiting for the guy. He had been early, so his friend hadn't been here already. In the mean time people had been staring at him with curious eyes. He had heard whispers like: who is the new guy? And how could he afford a car like that? Itachi just shot annoyed glances back, scaring them off as much as possible.

A loud angry voice boomed over the streets and Itachi knew that this should be his friend. Always yelling, preferably with loads of abusive terms. The silver hair came into view and Itachi got off his car and waved at his friend. As soon as his friend saw him, he walked towards him with a big smile on his face. 'Hey man, long time no see,' he said, pulling him into a manly hug.

Itachi felt really uncomfortable in the hug, not really a touchy feely person. 'Nice to see you as well, Hidan,' he said, still being held. Eventually he tried pushing the bigger guy off and Hidan let him go.

'How have you been all these years?' Hidan asked, in the mean time waving at all these people who passed by. Hidan really had a lot of friends in this school, but it wasn't so strange. It was an outgoing guy and easy to talk to. Also very popular with the girls if he had to believe the stories.

'I've been fine. We just settled in the new house and it's kind of pretty. We'll see how long we'll stay this time,' Itachi grumbled. He wasn't happy with the moving all the time and Hidan knew that already, but he was happy he had moved here and could see his friend again.

Hidan smacked him on the back in a friendly gesture. It was just a little hard and Itachi almost fell over. 'It will all be fine man. We will have so much fun now you're here,' he said enthusiastically. Then his purplish grey eyes fell on someone else to the side and a big smirk formed on his lips. He turned a little and Itachi tried to follow his gaze. A lot of people were still coming their way, so he wasn't sure which one Hidan was looking at. 'Hey, blondie!' Hidan suddenly called out as a blonde guy walked right in front of him. Two blue eyes shot at Hidan and a small smile formed on the plump lips. Then the guy stuck his tongue out and walked passed them onto the school grounds.

Itachi found it strange that the guy never said anything back. It might be a weird nickname, but he could at least have said hi back. This was just rude.

Hidan was still following the guy with his eyes, the smirk also still on his face. 'Not even saying hello anymore, Deidara?' he yelled to the guy. The guy turned around then, smile on his face, but still didn't say anything. Instead he stuck up his middle finger and turned again, entering the school building. Hidan just laughed, but Itachi still thought it was rather rude.

'Why didn't he say anything back?' Itachi asked his friend in an annoyed tone.

This earned Itachi a raised eyebrow and even a bit of an angry look. What did he say wrong? Hidan sighed deeply, knowing he should explain first, before he could really get angry. 'First of all, never use that tone again when you talk about Deidara. He is the nicest guy you will ever meet. Secondly he couldn't say anything back even if he wanted to. He can't talk,' Hidan said.

Now it was Itachi's turn to raise an eyebrow. 'Why can't he talk? Is he too shy to talk?'

Hidan folded his arms together and looked really annoyed now. 'Itachi, I am being very serious here. Deidara does not have a voice. He just is unable to talk.' Hidan took a threatening step forward, stepping into Itachi's comfort zone. 'And if you ever hurt Deidara in any way. I don't care if it's just mocking him. I will hurt you right back,' he hissed. Then Hidan stepped back, glanced once at Itachi again and walked of, going for class.

Itachi was left stunned. Why was Hidan so protective over Deidara? What was so special about him? Just because he couldn't speak, didn't mean he was better than the rest. Itachi didn't even get why he was here in the first place. Shouldn't he be in a special school or something where they teach him to speak in sign language? He was pretty sure they didn't teach that in this school. Itachi was now determined to figure out what was so great about this Deidara.


	2. You don't deserve to be happy

Itachi walked into a classroom he thought he needed to be in. This should be English, but the map they had given him wasn't very clear. He glanced around the room and saw no familiar faces, which wasn't that strange. He had hoped Hidan would at least be in his first class, but sadly his friend was not. And of course he was already receiving curious looks from everyone in the room. Why was the new guy so interesting?

After staring a moment longer into the classroom, trying to find a seat, he was suddenly tapped on the shoulder. He turned around, a bit annoyed that someone was bothering him, until he noticed he was staring right at the blonde guy. Big blue eyes were smiling at him together with the real smile on those plump lips. When Itachi just kept staring, Deidara eventually motioned for him to get out of the way. That smile was still on his face and Itachi started to hate it already. Why on earth was a guy without a voice smiling like that? He didn't have anything to smile about. His life should be even worse than his.

Deidara gave Itachi a funny look, not sure why the raven was glaring at him like that. He didn't even know the guy and as far as he knew, he hadn't done anything wrong. Slowly he passed Itachi and found his seat. He smiled at a few other classmates, them immediately starting to talk to him. He didn't mind it, it was nice to have people talking to him, accepting him for who he was. As long as he didn't have a problem with him being unable to speak, then why should others? That was at least how he thought about it.

For a moment Deidara looked up from his table and glanced back at the door. The raven was still staring at him with this scornfully look. Shyly Deidara looked away, not sure what to do with it. He decided to focus on his own work and unpacked his backpack.

At least Itachi got Deidara to look away. Itachi would make sure Deidara understand that it wasn't normal how he was acting. The only seat he could take was unfortunately behind Deidara. He walked past the blonde's table and looked down with an annoyed look. Deidara did not look up at him though, so it was of no use. He sat down behind the blonde and grumbled something. Deidara's eyes did look behind him then, glancing over his shoulder. The blonde must've heard him, but Itachi didn't care. He didn't want to be friends with Deidara even though Hidan said it was the nicest guy he would ever meet. It was all just an act, Itachi was sure of it.

Suddenly the door closed with a bang and the teacher walked in. The whole class fell silent. The teacher opened some books and laid them down on his desk. Immediately he started writing things down on the board and Itachi could hear a pen doing the same. He looked in front of him and saw Deidara writing frantically in his notebook as if he didn't want to miss anything. Itachi glanced around and saw all the students writing along, so it was important that he paid attention in this class, but none were writing as fast as Deidara. So the guy was also a good student. Great, he really was mister perfect then. The blonde was even pretty attractive for a guy. A bit on the feminine side, especially with the long blond hair. The only flaw was really that he was missing his voice.

Suddenly the teacher turned around and let his eyes slide through the class. They settled on Itachi since he was the new guy and an evil smirk settled on the teacher's face. Itachi raised an eyebrow, not sure what was going on. The teacher looked at his list of student names, trying to find Itachi's. 'Mister Uchiha,' he said stern. 'Can you tell me what the writer meant with this quote and what symbols he used to point them out?' The teacher pointed towards a quote and Itachi really had no idea what he was talking about. He hadn't been paying attention at all.

Itachi stayed silent, giving the teacher a challenging look. He has been send away to the principal's office in every school he's been to on the first day. So this wouldn't be a first. Then suddenly a white little board covered up his vision as the blonde held it up. He couldn't see what was written on it and he couldn't even see the teacher's reaction, but when the board was lowered again, the teacher had turned around and started writing on his own board again. What had happened?

Then the little board was lifted again, but this time in a way that Itachi could see the words. "You're welcome". Itachi gritted his teeth. The blonde has some nerve. He hadn't asked for help and now he was expected to even say thank you. No way! The rest of the class went by silently while Itachi was still thinking of ways to tell Deidara the truth.

The bell rang and slowly Deidara started packing his stuff. The little board going in last. He always wanted easy access to it, it being his only way to communicate fast. He stood up and leaned over the table to grab his bag. Someone tapped him on the shoulder and he slowly stood back up straight. He looked straight in the angry eyes off the Uchiha guy. He still didn't know his first name. Deidara swallowed heavily, knowing he would get some yelling his way, and then nodded to notify the guy that he could talk.

Itachi opened his mouth to say something, but then Hidan's voice boomed through the classroom. 'Deidara, let's go,' he said, but was looking at Itachi. The furrowed eyebrows said enough. If Itachi had actually said something, he would've been dead. Hidan really wasn't bluffing and actually sort of saved his ass right now. Itachi closed his mouth again and kept looking at Hidan.

Deidara was looking between the two guys, not sure what was going on. Eventually he decided he should just go to Hidan and he walked towards the door. When he got there he gave Hidan a questioning look.

Hidan glanced down and grabbed Deidara's hand to pull him out of the classroom completely, leaving Itachi all alone. When Hidan was sure Itachi couldn't hear him anymore, he spoke up. 'That's an old friend of mine. His name is Itachi and we met once on a family holiday when we were still little brats. We kept contact throughout the years and I've noticed how miserable he really is.' Hidan glanced down at Deidara, seeing if the blonde was still listening and saw two curious blue eyes looking up at him. Hidan smiled softly, before it faltered again. 'Itachi doesn't like it when others are happy and don't think they deserve to feel that way. So he would hate the happiest guy the most, meaning you,' Hidan pointed out.

Deidara blinked once, letting the words settle in. He then gave Hidan a confused look. How could he be the happiest guy there is?

Hidan sighed. 'You are the happiest guy in his eyes, because you act the way you do even though you have a handicap. It's twisted, but Itachi thinks you really shouldn't be happy, because of that.'

Deidara nodded, understanding it a little bit. He didn't agree with it though, but convincing someone of it otherwise was pretty hard. He would just avoid Itachi as much as possible, not wanting to be confronted with his handicap a lot. He was used to it, but Itachi obviously wasn't.

In the mean time Itachi still stood in the classroom, staring at the door where Deidara and Hidan had left through. Hidan really chose Deidara above him and Itachi didn't get it. Why was Deidara a better friend than him? What could a guy without a voice possibly offer someone? He couldn't say the right things. Maybe they were having sex or something. That made a little sense to Itachi. It was something else Deidara could offer. Maybe the blonde was just good in bed.

Oh, Itachi would be so happy for them. Yes he would. He flung his bag over his shoulder and stamped away angrily, his teeth still gritted. Oh, he would be so happy.


	3. Booty call

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whenever something is between these: " It's what Deidara writes on his board. Italics don't work here...

Itachi walked into the cafeteria for lunch. His last class had been without Hidan or Deidara and he hadn't known anyone else in his class. Not that he wanted to be in the same class as Deidara, but at least he would've seen a familiar face and maybe he could've convinced the blonde that life wasn't as pretty as he thought it was. But he had been stuck with strangers, staring at him like he was some nice piece of meat. So he was pretty annoyed as he went to get lunch.

Now he also needed to find a place to sit. He glanced around, his black eyes landing on a table where Hidan was sitting at, with Deidara of course. But his friend waved at him, so he had to sit there now. Itachi took his tray and slowly walked to the table. Deidara was first still smiling until he saw Itachi. Shyly the blonde looked away, playing a bit with his food. This only made Itachi smirk. At least Deidara knew how to act around him.

Then Itachi halted in his steps, seeing something he hadn't expected. A girl came up from behind Hidan's back and wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a soft kiss on the cheek. Then she turned to Deidara and ruffled his hair, getting an annoyed glance from the blonde. Apparently he wasn't so fond of the girl, but this meant something different to Itachi. Hidan and Deidara weren't together. Hidan had a girlfriend. Why hadn't he told him? Itachi was supposed to be his friend. When Hidan glanced at him, Itachi pretended like nothing happened, starting to walk again.

He sat down opposite from Hidan and glanced up at the girl who wasn't even paying attention to him. She was whispering things into Hidan's ear and giggling about it. Hidan seemed to be very happy about himself and this made Itachi raise an eyebrow. Then the raven glanced at Deidara and saw a very annoyed expression on the blonde's face. He was rolling his eyes at whatever the girl said. Apparently he didn't really like the girl. At some point Deidara was so sick of it, that he pushed his tray away and had lost his appetite. Itachi could almost hear him grumble something if it had been possible.

'Hidan, Deidara isn't eating again,' the girl said in a high-pitched voice, making Itachi flinch. That was some annoying voice the girl had. Itachi already disliked her and he didn't even know who she was. Not that he really cared since Hidan hadn't even bothered to tell him.

The tray was pushed back in front of Deidara by Hidan and the silver haired man gave him an angry look, saying you better eat your food right now. The blonde immediately took a spoon and stuffed his mouth full, appearing like a little child that was forced to eat. That was probably what Deidara was going for since Hidan had really acted like a daddy. Itachi would've been annoyed by that.

Suddenly the girl stood up, waving at some other girl and ran off. Deidara pushed the tray away again and banged his head on the table. 'Stop being so dramatic, Deidara. She isn't that bad,' Hidan said, looking at the girl's ass as she walked away.

Deidara then grabbed his little board and started scribbling things on it. "She's a bitch and you just want to sleep with her", was what the board said when the blonde held it up. Itachi smirked, looking at Hidan to see his expression. But his friend only rolled his eyes, having heard this a million times already. Yeah, Deidara was right, but did it really matter. She knew what was going on as well.

Itachi was disappointed. He had wanted to see a lot more drama than this. 'So you never told me you had a girlfriend,' he said bored, looking away from the two bickering people. Then he heard Deidara scribbling something on the board again and it caught his attention, because it was then held up for him.

"Booty call, not girlfriend"

Hidan tried ripping the board out of Deidara's hands, but wasn't able to before the blonde had wiped it clean again. Did earned Deidara a glare, but all Itachi could do was laugh softly. When he caught himself doing that, he stopped again, looking wide eyed at Hidan and Deidara. The blonde only raised an eyebrow, not expecting a reaction like that, but Hidan actually gave him a knowing smirk. 'It's hard not to like Deidara,' he mouthed at him and Itachi could feel his body shaking with anger again. He didn't like Deidara. He didn't even know the guy well enough. This was just a load of crap.

Deidara could feel the change in mood again, but didn't know why. He hadn't seen the exchange happening between Hidan and Itachi. Still he wanted to stop it from happening, because if he guessed right, he would be the one taking the fall. He grabbed his board again and started scribbling. Again he held it up in front of Itachi, hoping this would make him think of something else.

"He also didn't tell you that the girl is a freak. She does some nasty stuff and you should be happy he hasn't shared it with you yet".

Itachi read the board again and felt his anger slowly disappear. His black eyes looked up at Deidara and he got a small smile and a blush from the blonde. He wanted to say something mean, tell him that he shouldn't bother telling him this. That Deidara was only told, because he couldn't easily tell anyone else, but the words didn't leave his lips. He just stared in those blue eyes, eventually getting a funny look. He tried saving face. 'Thanks for the warning,' he said softly, turning away from Deidara again.

He started eating his food, trying to act like the look Deidara had given him, hadn't done anything to him, but he could feel his heartbeat in his throat. He didn't want to feel like this, he wanted to hate the blonde. He did hate the blonde. How could someone have so much effect on the first day they've met?

Suddenly the girl came back again and said goodbye to Hidan, giving him a long dirty looking kiss. Then she waved at Deidara who proceeded with signing something at her with a happy smile on his face.

'I no that's not how you say goodbye,' Hidan hissed, grabbing Deidara by his arm. 'So now tell me what you signed.' Deidara just shrugged him off, acting like it was nothing important. He was saved by a teacher calling Hidan. The silver haired man walked off and then Deidara smirked evilly. He scribbled something on his board again and held it up, making sure Hidan couldn't see it from where he was standing.

"It meant bitch"

Itachi blinked once at the words and then looked back up at those blue eyes. 'You are a weird guy, Deidara,' he said softly and the blonde just shrugged his shoulders, starting to clean his board again. Maybe he was weird, but at least he enjoyed life. He just wanted to have fun and sometimes the small things already made him smile.

Hidan joined them again, glancing from one to the other, wanting to know if he missed a big fight, but everything seemed alright. He narrowed his eyes at Itachi as he got comfortable in his seat again. 'So what is your next class?' he asked Itachi.

The raven looked up at him, seeing the narrowed eyes, so he did it right back. 'Art, if I'm not mistaken,' he said coolly. This made Deidara jump up and down in his seat with a happy smile on his face. He kept pointing at himself.

Hidan motioned at Deidara with a roll of his eyes. 'As you can see, Deidara also has art as his next class and he really loves it. I recommend staying close to him since he gets good grades as well. Except when he doesn't listen to the teacher.' Deidara folded his arms together in an angry matter, his lip in a pout. 'The teacher and he have different perspectives on art and they clash sometimes,' Hidan added with a smirk, looking at Deidara's expression.

The blonde grabbed his board again and scribbled something on it. "The teacher's point of view sucks and he doesn't even know when he's looking at real art. He's an idiot!"

Hidan's smirk got even bigger. 'And still you call him master Sasori.' Deidara looked angrily at Hidan, before grabbing his things and storming off. 'Ah, I insulted him,' Hidan said, still laughing. Itachi raised an eyebrow, not sure why Hidan had said that and why Deidara stormed off. It wasn't that bad what he had said. Hidan turned back to Itachi. 'You can't tell anyone this, but Deidara kind of has a crush on his art teacher. I like to tease him with it a little bit.'

Itachi looked at the exit of the cafeteria where Deidara had disappeared through. 'So he's attracted to guys then?' Itachi asked curiously.

'Yeah, I guess he is. Sasori is his first crush though, so I'm not sure.' Hidan shrugged his shoulders. 'I wish he would find himself a nice guy or girl. He does deserve someone, but not Sasori. That guy is too old for Deidara and it would be way too creepy.'

Itachi nodded and the bell rang right then. Students were getting up and walking towards their next class. Hidan did the same, leaving his tray on the table. 'But does this Sasori even know Deidara likes him?'

'Don't know. Never seen him in class. I don't have art class, so you tell me when you see him.' Hidan waved at him before walking off, leaving Itachi rather dumbstruck. Well, he now knew Hidan and Deidara weren't together and he was glad they weren't, but finding out that Deidara had a crush on his teacher didn't make him feel so good. He really needed to meet the guy and see with his own eyes what they were like around each other. Maybe this Sasori was the reason why Deidara was so happy.


	4. Yes, brat

Itachi walked into the classroom. Immediately he noticed the difference between a normal classroom and this classroom. The desks were made out of wood and all of them had pencils and stuff standing on it. That wasn't even the strangest thing and neither was the disturbing paintings hanging from the wall which had explosions or dead bodies on them. No the most disturbing thing were the wooden puppets standing in the corner, completely dressed and the female puppets even wore make-up. Someone must be kind of obsessed with them.

Itachi then glanced at the tables that were still available and noticed Deidara sitting alone, drawing stuff on a piece of paper. The blonde never looked up, so wouldn't wave Itachi over even if he wanted to. Still Itachi was too curious to know about this crush that Deidara was supposed to have on his teacher, so he walked over to the seat next to the blonde and sat down next to him. His eyes went to the paper and saw lots of colors all forming a big explosion. Well, he knew now whose drawings were on the wall here. Maybe the teacher liked him more than Hidan had thought.

Deidara was still busy drawing when the door closed with a bam. Immediately the blue eyes shot up and watched the teacher walk in. Itachi was also looking, but not as admiring. The teacher seemed to be very young still, he looked even younger than they did, but he must be older. He was also very short and he had fiery red hair. The dull look on his face didn't make him seem very interesting. Itachi didn't see what was so likeable about the guy, but maybe he had a nice personality.

A tanned hand shot up and Deidara almost bounced up and down in his chair to get the teacher's attention. Lazily the muddy brown eyes went towards Deidara, sighing as he noticed who it was. 'Yes, brat?' the guy said. Itachi couldn't believe the teacher just called one of his students', brat! That was insulting and so not fine.

Deidara seemed to ignore it though. "Master Sasori, I already did some work for the project. Can you take a look at it for me?" he asked, scribbled on his board. Itachi raised an eyebrow then at Deidara. So he did call the teacher master and even by his first name. This was all so strange and even the fact that the teacher walked towards Deidara and took a look at the drawing he made. Usually they just had to wait until they had to turn it in.

'Brat, this is the same as always,' Sasori said annoyed. 'You should widen your perspective and not focus on explosions of colors. Try to make something more calming. Maybe draw humans for once.' The teacher turned again and walked towards the front of the class. He just sat down in his desk chair and went through some of his papers. The other students seem to get to work right away, knowing what they had to do. Again Deidara's hand shot up in the air and Itachi wondered what he wanted to ask now. 'What now, brat?' Sasori asked, not even looking up from his desk.

Again something was scribbled on the board. "Master, we have a new student", it said with an arrow pointing to Itachi. The raven rolled his eyes, but the muddy brown eyes then landed on him. He shifted in his chair, not liking how the lazy eyes stared at him.

Sasori turned back to his desk and went through his papers again, taking one out of the stack. 'Itachi Uchiha, I see. You will be paired with the brat since your grades are too low. He might be able to help you,' he said, the paper going down again and his hands folding together. 'Brat, I think you will get him everything he needs?' It was said in a question, but Sasori didn't even wait for the answer. Deidara nodded nonetheless.

The blonde got out a notebook from his back and started writing down a lot now. He ripped the paper out and gave it to Itachi.

"The project consists of four different kinds of art pieces. We need to make a big painting, a poem, a statue and something you can make up yourself. It needs to be inventive though. All of the art pieces need to have something in common, like a subject. I already picked a subject, so you have to deal with my vision."

Itachi looked up at Deidara who was drawing in the notebook now. The blue eyes slowly looked up and gave him a nod to see if Itachi had understood. The raven nodded back, but hadn't finished the whole paper yet. There was some sort of schedule on it as well.

"Painting: Tuesday and Thursday

Poem: can you write?

Statue: Saturday

Other: Come to my house on Friday and I'll show you"

Black eyes went to Deidara again, studying his face. He pointed towards the schedule, asking for a better explanation. The blonde nodded and grabbed the paper, scribbling stuff behind it. They would work on the painting on Tuesday and Thursday and Deidara wanted to do that at Itachi's place. He would need to ask his father, but the house should be big enough for it. Deidara was also asking if Itachi could write the poem since the blonde didn't really have a way with words. Itachi nodded, saying he would try. The statue would be worked on every Saturday and other was self explanatory once Itachi had seen it. He was getting curious to what it was now.

Deidara scribbled something new on his white board again. "Tomorrow it's Tuesday, so after school we will go back to your place?" Itachi nodded, knowing he had to ask his father tonight then. Maybe he should just ask his mother and let her deal with it. She knew how to play his father better than he knew.

Deidara was studying Itachi's face carefully. He found it strange that Itachi had sat down beside him in the beginning of the lesson, but he didn't mind much now. At least he didn't get a glare anymore or weird threats. Maybe the raven had started to like him or maybe Hidan threatened him instead. It was probably the latter.

His blue eyes went to the front of the class again, his eyes landing on Sasori. Immediately he felt sick, his stomach churning. Why did Sasori make him feel this weird? It wasn't fair! Especially since Sasori knew Deidara liked him. It had earned him the nickname brat, because Sasori didn't want to say his real name anymore, saying it would make the crush even worse. Deidara thought he was just being called brat, because Sasori wanted to tease him. It would be in the teacher's nature.

Sasori's eyes glided up from his desk again and landed on Itachi, staring at him for quite some time before looking over at Deidara. The blonde swallowed hard, feeling his heart rate go up. He cascaded his eyes down, looking at his drawing he suddenly hated. It was ugly and not even worth Sasori's time. How could he have been so stupid to actually show it to him? When he dared to look up again, he noticed Sasori staring at Itachi again. The raven didn't notice it, still studying the piece of paper Deidara had hadn't him.

Deidara felt a sting of jealousy, not really liking the fact that Sasori was actually staring at Itachi. What was so great about Itachi anyway? Maybe it was the low voice, sounding so velvety. Although Sasori hadn't heard it yet. Maybe the piercing black eyes that seemed to look right through you. No, Itachi hadn't even really looked at Sasori. Couldn't be the long black hair, since Deidara's hair was long as well, although not as well kept as Itachi's. There were a lot of things to like about Itachi, so maybe Sasori was right to stare at him.

Suddenly Itachi's eyes snapped up to Deidara, looking right into his blue eyes. Deidara felt himself wanting to look away, the piercing gaze scaring him a little. But still he kept looking back, keeping their eyes locked. Eventually the raven blinked, his eyes going down to the table before going back to the piece of paper. Somehow Deidara's heart rate had sped up even more and he couldn't help but wonder about what Itachi had thought about.

He kept looking at Itachi for almost the entire lesson, the bell shocking him out of his thoughts. First Deidara just sat there, his thoughts now jumbling together. He had always looked at Sasori when he was in art class, but now he was actually looking at Itachi. This was all so strange… When he found the class empty, even Itachi had left, he quickly stuffed everything in his bag and sprinted off. What he hadn't expected was Sasori calling something out to him.

'He's a good looking guy, brat and he seemed to be interested in you. Maybe you should go for him instead of me,' the redhead said, glancing at Deidara out of the corner of his eye. Of course Deidara couldn't respond quickly to him, so he kept silent, just nodding at Sasori's words.

What Deidara never had known was that Sasori did care about him, but not in the way the brat wanted. When he found out Deidara had a crush in him, he knew he had gotten too close to his student. He had taken the boy under his wing, motivating him to do more with art. Deidara just had that effect on people and he had sucked Sasori right in. But Sasori knew he couldn't keep treating him like his friend or his son for that matter. That's when the insults started and he started to push the blonde away. Not the right way to approach it and Sasori wasn't even sure it helped. Deidara was now clinging even more to him, doing work beforehand and wanting his help.

But the way Itachi had looked at Deidara for a moment, the black eyes sparkling a bit, Sasori knew that it might change now. Itachi's report didn't say very good things about the raven and maybe he would be a bad influence on Deidara, but that was not something Sasori believed. Deidara could change everybody and he could certainly change a miserable student like Itachi. Sasori had seen to how many different schools the boy had gone to and he knew it had nothing to do with him getting expelled. He just moved a lot.

Sasori would hope the best for them and he smiled softly when he saw that Itachi had waited for Deidara outside of the classroom, walking with him to the next class.


	5. You're a nice guy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kushina and Minato are Deidara's parents and Naruto is his little brother to make it a little easier.

It was Tuesday already and today Deidara would go home with Itachi. Deidara always walked to school, but now he got to sit in Itachi's pretty car, although the blonde couldn't care less. He was happy enough with being driven. Itachi was fidgeting behind the steering wheel. He had asked his father if they could use a room to paint in and his father had raised an eyebrow before slowly nodding yes. Then he got a lecture for not ruining their carpet and they better clean everything up after they were done. Yeah, they got to work in the garage where no one ever came, so Itachi didn't understand why his father made such a big deal out of it.

Itachi glanced to the side at Deidara who was looking out of the window with a soft smile on his face. Itachi wondered what he was thinking about, but asking now would be a little awkward. They weren't really friends, they just worked together and had a shared friend. They were a little closer now than when they first met, but not that close, right? Itachi wasn't sure anymore. He didn't mind Deidara's company anymore. He kind of liked the silence Deidara brought and since Deidara wasn't so down, he also lightened the mood. Even Itachi felt a little better when Deidara was around.

The raven pulled up on their driveway and drove the long length all the way to their house. Deidara's eyes widened and he stared in awe at the house. Yes, it was big and the space was so unnecessary. Most rooms would never be decorated since they would've left already by then. Itachi hated the house already and he only had lived there for a week or something. He didn't really remember.

As soon as the car stopped moving, Deidara jumped out of the car and stared at the gigantic house. Slowly he turned towards Itachi and started pointing at the house in an exaggerated way. Itachi chuckled softly at Deidara's face, liking how the blonde was smiling.

Itachi then started walking towards the house, glancing over his shoulder to make sure Deidara was following. Deidara was still looking up at the house, his eyes going up higher and higher as he walked after Itachi. Again the raven chuckled, suddenly finding Deidara very cute. In the spur of the moment, Itachi grabbed Deidara's hand and pulled him further towards the house, not wanting to linger outside any longer. When they got to the door, Itachi turned and saw a huge blush on the blonde's face, blue eyes casted down. Then he realized he was still holding Deidara's hand and quickly let go of it, his own black eyes widened in shock. Why had he done that?

Hurriedly he opened the door, not looking at Deidara anymore. He was sure he now wore a blush of his own. Itachi took off his coat and hung it on the coat rack, Deidara followed suit. Out of the corner of his eyes Itachi looked at Deidara, wanting to know if the blonde still felt embarrassed, but he actually looked fine already. 'Want something to drink?' he then asked, seeing Deidara nod with a soft smile. Somehow those blue eyes sparkled again and Itachi loved it, but he wouldn't admit it any time soon.

Itachi walked over to the kitchen, pushing open the door and then keeping it open for Deidara. He noticed his mother standing behind the refrigerator, trying to pick something to drink for herself. 'Mother,' Itachi said, trying to get her attention. Mikoto stood straight up again and turned towards her son, a big smile on her face.

'Hey, sweetie. When did you get home?' she asked, then noticing someone else was in the kitchen as well. 'Oh, and who are you?'

Deidara looked a little uncomfortable since he couldn't answer her right away and grabbing his bag would be weird now. He shot Itachi a pleading look and the raven smirked back at Deidara as if to say, so you need me, huh? 'Mother, this is Deidara. He, uh, he doesn't have a voice, so he can't talk. We're doing an art project together.'

Mikoto shot Deidara a sad face which the blonde hated, but then a beautiful smile appeared again and somehow Deidara just had to love her. She seemed like such a sweet woman. 'Welcome to our home, Deidara. I'm Mikoto, Itachi's mother.' Deidara decided then that it was a good time to grab his board out of his bag so he could actually say something back.

"Thank you. You have a lovely home", he scribbled on the board and held up for Mikoto to read. She giggled softly, a hand in front of her mouth as if to keep it in.

'Thank you, Deidara. I hadn't expected you to communicate like that. I thought you would speak in signs.' Deidara smiled broadly. It was his way of laughing and Itachi couldn't help but stare at it in awe.

Deidara scribbled something new on the board and Mikoto stood on her toes trying to see it before he finished writing. "I do speak in signs, but not many others do. It would be weird if I spoke in signs now since no one would understand ;)"

Mikoto giggled again, winking back at the emoticon he used. 'Very true, Deidara. Now I won't keep you two any longer. I'll get you something to drink. You go to the garage,' she said, turning to the fridge again.

'Thanks, mother,' Itachi said, getting out of the kitchen again. Deidara followed after waving goodbye to Itachi's mother. Such a lovely woman, he thought. Itachi guided Deidara towards the garage, going through several doors before they got there. A few cars filled the room, but it was so big that they had enough space to paint ten paintings. Deidara skipped to the place where there stood a canvas and placed his bag on the ground. He inspected everything they had and then nodded happily.

Itachi walked up next to him and saw him getting to work. Deidara placed some of his drawings on the side, using it as an example. He grabbed a pencil and started making an outline for the painting. Itachi just watched, his eyes following after the tanned delicate hand sliding over the canvas. Then he glanced at Deidara's face, seeing a little pink tongue sticking out of the corner of plump lips. Itachi had to blink once to keep other thoughts from happening. 'What do you want me to do?' he then asked awkwardly, a weird smile on his face.

Deidara raised an eyebrow, not understanding why Itachi was acting so weird suddenly. He pointed towards some bottles of paint and then started drawing again. Most of them were just weird scribbled lines, not really saying anything, but Deidara knew what they could become. Itachi just didn't. He grabbed the paint and some brushes and brought them over to the canvas. He looked at the drawing with a frown on his face. He really didn't know how this would become something real.

The blonde leaned back, watching his work and then smiled pleased. Then he made the mistake to look over to Itachi and noticed the frown. Immediately he felt insulted like the real artist he was. How could he not see what he meant! Itachi clearly was not an artist. Well, at least not the way Deidara was. But the way his eyes could look was almost like a piece of art. The reddish glance they had when he seemed angry or the soft dark blue they could hold when Itachi was smiling. They changed so many times.

Itachi then raised an eyebrow at Deidara, getting rather uncomfortable under the stare. 'What?' he asked and a huge blush spread on the blonde's face. He grabbed his board and scribbled a sort of lie on it. "You look a lot like your mother."

Itachi read it and smiled softly. 'You should see my little brother. He looks exactly like her. Even the very pale skin, but we do both have her black hair.'

Deidara kept watching Itachi's face and then sat down on a little stool that Itachi had put there before. Itachi took the other, thinking they would be talking some more. "What's your brother like?" Deidara had now scribbled on the board.

'If we have to believe the girls very handsome. Also a bit spoilt, but he works hard for the things he does want and he can be a very good friend,' Itachi answered with a smile. He did love his brother a lot.

"He sounds nice. What's his name?"

'Sasuke, after our grandfather. He's five years younger than me,' Itachi said. Deidara nodded at the statement and smiled back at him. The blonde didn't know what to say now, so he just stayed silent. 'What's your family like?' Itachi then suddenly asked.

Blue eyes shot up again and smiled broadly at Itachi. "My parents are great and my brother is a hyperactive kid who will take a bullet for the ones he loves. I love them a lot", Deidara had now written on his board.

'What's your brother's name?' Itachi then asked, smiling back at Deidara's sweet face. He really loved his family, didn't he?

"His name is Naruto and he's also five years younger than me. Maybe our brothers are in the same class?"

Itachi's eyes widened as he suddenly recognized the name. 'Yeah, I believe our brothers are in the same class. Sasuke has been whining about some guy named Naruto ever since we got here. Not sure if he likes your brother very much.'

Deidara smiled, his eyes twinkling in a laugh. "Naruto also has that effect on people, but once Sasuke gets to know him, he has to love my little brother. He's a bit of a brat, but can be the sweetest person ever."

'A bit like you,' Itachi let slip out. As soon as he realized what he had said, his eyes widened and a huge blush spread on his pale cheeks. Deidara's eyes widened as well and his mouth hang open in shock. 'I mean, uhh, you are a nice guy,' Itachi tried to safe, but Deidara didn't buy it now. He would let it slide though since he still had to work with Itachi for weeks.

"You're a nice guy as well. Hidan was lucky that he got to know you."

Itachi smiled softly now, his eyes casted down to the ground. 'Thank you and I'm glad I get to know you now.' Deidara's eyes widened again and then a smile formed on his lips. They stayed silent for a while, realizing they just became friends or something like that at least. Itachi still felt a weird itch as if he wanted to do something and it got worse when he looked at Deidara's plump lips, but he didn't recognize what it was. He ignored the feeling for now and helped Deidara up to get to painting. They painted the whole afternoon, Itachi telling the voiceless Deidara the biggest stories. Even more than he ever told Hidan.


	6. Beautiful raven

Itachi had been standing by the gate, waiting for Deidara. It was Friday now and he would finally see what Deidara had planned as extra for their art project. The blonde still wasn't here though and Itachi started to think that Deidara maybe already went home. Had he forgotten about it? Of course they didn't have their last class together. It would've been so much easier that way. But Deidara couldn't have forgotten about it. Deidara had even reminded him during lunch break. He didn't just stand Itachi up, right?

As Itachi was fidgeting against his car, still waiting for Deidara, Hidan walked towards him with a smirk on his face and a raised eyebrow. 'What crawled up your pants?' he said, chuckling along. Itachi just glared at him, not answering the weird question. Did he really look that bad? 'Fine, sweetheart. Deidara should be here any minute. He's in some sort of silly mood, so you better prepare yourself for that,' Hidan said, pointing towards Itachi. He didn't elaborate what kind of silly mood Deidara was in. What could the raven even expect?

It was then that Deidara came walking towards them, a big smile on his face, a twinkle in his blue eyes and earphones on. Hidan walked away before even saying goodbye to Deidara, the big smirk still on his face. Itachi didn't understand any of it. What kind of mood was Deidara in? Then the blonde was suddenly in front of him and he could hear a happy upbeat song playing in the background. Deidara grabbed Itachi's hands and pulled him into a dance, twirling around and bumping his hips playfully against Itachi. Quickly Itachi pulled his hands free, embarrassed by all the stares they were receiving, but Deidara just didn't care. He kept dancing, twirling over the pathway with this goofy smile on his face. 'Aren't we taking my car?' Itachi called after him, but that only earned him a death glare coming from said blonde.

So the only thing Itachi really could do was follow after the overly happy blonde. Soon they had reached a street without the many other students. Deidara danced his way next to Itachi again and fell into pace with him. Itachi couldn't help but smile softly at it, looking at how his hand almost touched Deidara's. Then suddenly the blonde turned towards him, the smile still plastered on his face, and he took one of the earphones out of his ear and handed it to Itachi. Carefully the raven put it in his own ear and started listening to the song. Still as upbeat as ever and when he listened to the lyrics he instantly got happy as well. There was something magical about this song.

Deidara then took Itachi's hand in his and waved them both back and forth. To continue his happy mood, he pulled Itachi onto a driveway and danced with him there. Itachi couldn't look away from the sparkling blue eyes. They were so happy and inviting. Way too soon Deidara stopped and walked towards the door, pulling the earphone out of Itachi's ear. He opened the door and twirled inside, Itachi following after him.

Deidara immediately went to another room after throwing his bag and coat on the ground in the hallway. Itachi felt a little insecure about that and decided to just hang is coat up on the coat rack. It was there, so why not use it? Carefully he followed after Deidara, glancing around the door of the other room which seemed to be the kitchen.

Itachi could see a blond man sitting across the kitchen table, clearly Deidara's father. He hadn't noticed his son yet though and to get his attention, Deidara slammed his hands down on the table, the broad smile again on his face. A bit startled the man looked up from his newspaper and then smiled back at Deidara. 'Hey, when did my boy get home?' he asked and immediately Deidara fired many hand sings his father's way. The man seemed to understand, but Itachi just stood there, flabbergasted. What the hell was Deidara even saying?

Then the man's blue eyes fell on Itachi and he raised an eyebrow, making Deidara turn to him as well. Deidara jumped towards him and pulled Itachi inside the room. He then motioned for the raven to actually introduce himself since he couldn't do it. Itachi slowly extended his hand, Deidara's father immediately grabbing it, and shook it. 'Itachi Uchiha, sir. Very nice to meet you,' he said plainly.

The man gave an understanding nod at his last name, knowing immediately whose son he was. 'Minato, Deidara's father, as you probably already saw,' he answered with a smile. He then turned towards his son again. 'Did you make up a sign for Itachi already?' Deidara shook his head, a huge blush spreading on his face. 'You are lying to me!' Minato said warningly. 'Come on, what is it.'

Embarrassed Deidara casted his eyes down at the floor, but raised his hands nonetheless. Curiously Itachi watched his hands move, but had no idea what they meant. They must've been words, but he didn't know them. Minato chuckled at the signs, giving his son a sweet smile.

'You can stop by more often, Itachi,' Minato then said, picking up his newspaper again. 'And you should show Itachi the sign you made for Hidan.'

Itachi didn't like the fact that they didn't explain the sign, but he couldn't choose between knowing what it meant or knowing what Hidan's name was. If Minato said he needed to know, then it must be something good, so eventually Itachi didn't say anything and waited for Deidara to do the sign. The blonde got into a weird stance, legs a bit apart and one hand extended forward. Then the other hand joined in, making a slapping motion. Itachi's eyes widened at the motion before laughing loudly. 'That fits him perfectly,' he said, still laughing. Hidan did love to slap ladies asses.

Deidara smiled broadly, expressing his way of laughing, his eyes holding a sparkle again. Oh, how Itachi had fallen in love with that sparkle. Minato was secretly staring at Itachi, seeing how much Itachi liked his son and he was happy he did. At least Deidara's hand sign fitted the boy.

Suddenly the door slammed open and a fiery red haired woman walked in, already ranting about something and walking over to her husband. He just hummed at her, still reading his newspaper and she didn't even seem to care. Then her green eyes fell on Deidara and she smiled broadly, immediately giving away where he got his smile from. She went to him and pulled him into a hug. 'You're home early,' she said loudly. 'You didn't get in trouble, right?'

Her son pushed her away and rolled his eyes, shaking no. Like he would ever get in trouble and he was right. He had never done anything wrong and he did that on purpose, but that would be explained to Itachi later on. More important now was that his mother hadn't even realized that Itachi was there, so with a hard push, she was send his way.

'Oh, hi! Hadn't seen you there. I'm Kushina,' she said happily. Itachi blinked at her a couple of times, not understanding why she was talking so loud. He was right there.

Itachi shook her extended hand first and then responded with, 'I'm Itachi Uchiha. Very nice to meet you.'

Kushina turned away from him, staring at her son. 'So, what's his sign?' she immediately asked. Was this something that Deidara did with every new person he got to know? He did the sign for his mother, blush on his face again and she immediately went into a that's-so-cute fit with a lot of awws. What the hell? He really needed to know what that sign meant now! But of course as soon as he wanted to ask, something interrupted him. The door slammed open again, letting a much smaller blond boy in.

'Why is it that every time I come home, everyone is in the kitchen?' the kid yelled out. Well, we know why the boy is so loud. Got that from his mother. Itachi was suddenly very glad that Deidara didn't have a voice and that he wasn't Minato. He would seriously go nuts if he had to stay in a house with so many yelling people. 'And who the hell are you?' the boy then asked rudely to Itachi.

As the boy walked on, Deidara slapped him against the back of his head. The boy whined something, but no one had to say he needed to apologize to me. The death glare his mother gave him helped and Deidara helping along made it all the better. Quickly the boy mumbled an apology and sat down next to his father on the kitchen table.

'Itachi,' he mumbled, kind of done with the introductions. The boy hadn't even given his own name yet, so why did he have to?

The boy nodded thoughtfully. 'Sasuke's brother, right? I'm Naruto,' he said. 'What's his sign?' he then asked Deidara, not even waiting for Itachi to answer his first question. Why was this sign so important to all of them? Did Deidara really want to talk that much about him? There wouldn't be another reason for them to know it, right? Deidara did the sign quickly this time, apparently even more embarrassed in front of his little brother. 'Beautiful raven? I don't get it,' Naruto said confused.

A huge blush spread on both teenage boys' cheeks. So Itachi was beautiful raven and Naruto just had to tell said beautiful raven. How in the world were they going work together now? Slowly Deidara glanced at Itachi out of the corner of his eyes, trying to see what the raven's reaction was, but all he could see was the blush and two black eyes widened to its max.

Everyone was shifting uncomfortably now except for unknowing little Naruto with the big mouth. Deidara could think of only one thing to make this better. Quickly he grabbed his father's newspaper and a pen that was lying around and scribbled something in the corner of an article. Should we start our art project now?

Itachi nodded, quickly making his way out of the kitchen. Deidara saw him leave, sadness staining his eyes now. 'You are such an idiot!' Kushina said to Naruto, also slapping him against the back of his head. 'Why'd you think Deidara calls him that in the first place? You better not have ruined this for him,' she said warningly. Deidara just rolled his eyes and followed after Itachi, thinking there was nothing to ruin in the first place.

He slammed the door close behind him, showing off his anger and disappointment. He sighed loudly before he was suddenly pushed against the wall and a pair of lips was against his. It was a hasty kiss and soon Itachi was walking away again towards the garden, already knowing Deidara would show him something there. But Deidara couldn't move yet, his legs all wobbly. That had been his first kiss! And he couldn't stop the butterflies from moving around!


	7. True art

After Deidara had a breather in the hallway, he slowly followed after Itachi. His legs still felt funny and he didn't trust them enough to run after Itachi and get his show going. He was really excited about showing the raven this, but he shouldn't look so flustered while doing so. Was he blushing?! He must look like a complete idiot. He walked out into the backyard, his hand still on his lips that were just touched. Yeah, he was definitely blushing now.

Itachi wasn't really looking at him, the black eyes focused on Deidara's chest. 'So what did you want to show me?' his deep velvety voice said. Why was Deidara thinking this way now? He liked his teacher, right? He had a crush on Sasori, not on this gorgeous man right in front of him. Why was Itachi so attractive? He was a ticking time bomb, so why would Deidara be attracted to him in the first place? He had proved he didn't like Deidara very much when he yelled at him.

Tanned hands started fidgeting with the hem of his shirt, the blue eyes staring at a patch of grass right over Itachi's shoulder. He had forgotten about Itachi's question, so the black eyes slowly went up to Deidara's, wondering where the blonde's mind flew up to. When Deidara felt the eyes on him, his went up as well, their eyes locking. Embarrassed both of them looked away and to break the awkwardness, Deidara knew now that he should just show what his extra art project was.

Resolute he walked over to the garden table, a cloth covering whatever was under there. In a swift move he pulled the cloth off, knocking over almost everything that was under it. So much for looking cool. Thankfully nothing broke and Itachi didn't laugh at him. That would've taken the beauty out of his art. He mixed some of the stuff together that was on the table, shaking the bottle fiercely. Then he poured it into a little bag, tying it close and then holding it up before Itachi's eyes. The whole kiss was out of Deidara's mind now, a happy smile on his face. This was what he lived for, true beauty.

Itachi wasn't sure what the little bag was supposed to mean and lifted an eyebrow, a confused look on his face. He didn't say anything since Deidara was gesturing he had to wait for it. Quickly the blonde grabbed two pair of goggles from the table, handing one to Itachi. This confused the raven even more, but he put it on nonetheless. Deidara must have a good reason for him to wear one. Deidara's was already fastened on his head and he took a few steps away from Itachi. He pointed at the bag and then a few feet away. Itachi nodded his head like he understood even though he had no idea what was going to happen.

Deidara raised the little bag in the air and then threw it away with a hard throw. When it hit the ground a little further away, it exploded. Itachi's eyes closed tightly and his hands went up to his ears, trying to avoid the sound of reaching him. He had completely missed the whole explosion and what was supposed to be art in it. This was just a mad man at work here.

The other was reacting completely different. Clapping his hands, jumping up and down in joy. This was what art was about. A fleeting beauty, never the same and you have to be lucky enough to see it once. Happily he looked over at Itachi who was still crouched down and his smile disappeared right away. Hadn't he even seen it?

'What the hell did you do that for?' Itachi called out way too loudly, his hands still covering his ears, drowning out all the sounds. This was so unnecessary, blowing a whole in your garden or more like your parents' garden. 'You can't just blow stuff up,' he then commented, not noticing the pout on Deidara's face, soon joined by sad blue eyes. Then the raven did look up at Deidara, only seeing the blonde's retreating back as he ran back towards his house. 'Deidara, where are you going?' he called after him, but was only met with a slam of the door.

Bewildered Itachi stayed footed, unsure if he was supposed to follow Deidara now or wait until he got back out. He didn't even know why Deidara went inside. Maybe he was just getting something. Itachi waited for a few minutes, but when it took almost ten minutes for Deidara to come back out, he went looking for the blonde.

He opened the garden door, glancing around the silent hallway. Deidara didn't seem to be there, but Itachi couldn't just walk in and go looking through the house. That would be rude and he might stumble upon things he didn't want to see. He did step into the house again and walked through the hallway until he reached the kitchen door again. He could hear Deidara's parents talking behind, their laughs telling him it was an amusing conversation. It didn't seem like Deidara was there though.

Heavy footsteps came down the stairs right behind Itachi and he quickly turned, acting like he hadn't been listening to the conversation. He stared up in a pair of blue eyes. Naruto nodded at him, getting off the stairs and pushing passed Itachi. 'He's in his room. Second door to the right,' the blonde boy said, opening the kitchen door and joining the conversation his parents were having.

Itachi glanced up the stairs. He had to go there now. No choice left. Why had Deidara suddenly left for his room? Itachi didn't understand what was going on. Slowly he walked up the stairs, glancing through the hallway upstairs now. He could see a few doors, but his eyes went to the second right one, light coming from under it. Resolute he walked to it, determined to find out what the hell was going on.

He knocked on the door and then almost slapped himself in the face since Deidara couldn't tell him to come in. He just decided he could come in anyway, opening the door. He could see the blonde lying on his bed, face planted on his pillow. Itachi didn't get any reaction out of him. Not even when he sat beside him and gave his shoulder a soft shake. Itachi sighed softly, not knowing what he was supposed to do anymore. 'Deidara, you can't just keep ignoring me. I have no idea what's wrong.' Because apparently I did something wrong, he finished in his head.

Deidara crawled of his bed, walking over to his desk. He grabbed one of his white boards he had lying around the house and scribbled something on it. Without looking Itachi's way, he held the board op for him to read. No one likes my art. Was the only thing it said. Itachi didn't understand. What was his art then? The board was pulled away and wiped clean, so Deidara could scribble the next thing on it. An explosion is fleeting and that is what art is supposed to look like.

Itachi raised a questioning eyebrow. 'That explosion earlier is what you call art?' he asked unbelievably. That was just the weirdest thing ever. How could an explosion be art?

Deidara turned towards him, anger now written on his face. That was just the most insulting thing Itachi could've said. Of course the explosion was his art. It was what he was showing the raven in the first place and then that tone. At least pretend you understand. Deidara ripped a piece of paper out of a notebook and started writing a lot more down for Itachi to read. He would explain carefully why an explosion was art and why Itachi was a dumbass who didn't understand any of it. When he was done, he walked over to Itachi and pushed the piece of paper against his chest, letting the raven know he was still angry.

"An explosion is fleeting. It's all over in a matter of seconds. It's never the same. The colors are always different, the size, the sound. It's ever changing. Nothing is as beautiful as that. How it holds power, but is yet so small when you first create it. You are lucky to have seen it when it comes, since it won't be around for long. True art is an explosion."

Itachi brought the piece of paper down again, his eyes turned sad now. He didn't agree with Deidara per se, but he understood he had screwed this up. The blonde was very angry. He saw it in the short sentences and the pressure that was used on the pen when he wrote it. He had insulted Deidara without even meaning to, but he should've known. How could he have been so blind? The drawings that were all over the art room. They belonged to Deidara and apparently the teacher loved them. But Sasori hadn't agreed with Deidara's point of view on art. That was what Hidan had said before. Why hang all the drawings up in the first place.

The white board was raised again and Deidara wrote something new on it. "At least Sasori pretends to like my art." Before the words really got through to Itachi, the board was smashed down back on the desk and Deidara was already out the door, running down the stairs and getting into the kitchen.

Itachi was still on the bed, staring after Deidara. Was this art thing really that bad? And then what he said last about Sasori. What was that supposed to mean really? That Sasori was better than him since he pretended to like his art? Itachi could pretend to like his art, but that didn't mean anything. He could try to like Deidara's art for real and be so much more than Sasori. That teacher didn't have the right to snatch Deidara away from him. Not after he had felt those soft luscious lips for real now. How he wanted to feel them again, tasting Deidara again. It had been so amazing, but so short. Fleeting almost, like Deidara's art. See, he could understand, he could understand perfectly.


	8. Drama queen

Lunchtime on a Monday afternoon. Deidara hadn't spoken to Itachi ever since he had left the house that Friday. They were supposed to work on their art project, but apparently Deidara didn't think it was necessary. This doesn't mean Itachi hadn't tried, because he did. He had texted Deidara several times, he had called Deidara a few times, he had even stopped by at some point, but Naruto told him he couldn't get in. Itachi was really fed up with this. Deidara was just acting like a drama queen now. How could he even make this right if he isn't even allowed to talk to the blonde?

Of course Deidara also hadn't joined Hidan and him for lunch which got him in a fight with said friend. Hidan blamed him from the start when he noticed Deidara wasn't joining them. Yes, Deidara had gotten food from the cafeteria, but then proceeded to walk out of it and eat his food god knows where. Now he had to explain everything to Hidan and he really had wanted to avoid that. He just hadn't understood Deidara's art right away, but he understood it now.

As soon as Itachi had told Hidan the whole story, Hidan started laughing at him. 'You are stupid for talking about Deidara's art in a bad way. Do you have any idea what he did to me when I said I thought he was crazy? He grabbed his lunch tray and kept beating me with it until I admitted that his art was beautiful and I had to use the word beautiful,' he said, a chuckle lingering in his voice. 'That guy is nuts when it comes to his art, but we all just have to deal with it.'

Itachi banged his head on the cafeteria table, groaning softly. This was just so annoying. 'I do understand his art now, but he doesn't let me tell him. He's been avoiding me the whole weekend and I don't know what he expects me to do,' he mumbles against the table. It smells like disinfectant and moldy food and what is that written on it? "Lisa as a cheating whore!" Okay, good to know. Itachi had no idea who Lisa was, but it's probably true.

Hidan laughs again and it annoys Itachi. How in the world was this going to help him? 'You know the fact that Deidara actually values your opinion so much, tells me he likes you a lot. I mean I only got beat up with a lunch tray, you're actually receiving the silence treatment which is pretty easy for him,' he adds in the end.

'Don't make fun of him,' Itachi mumbles to the table again. 'And if he likes me so much, then why doesn't he give me at least a way to make it up to him?' he asks, feeling desperate, but still sounding as if everything was alright.

Another chuckle fills the air and Itachi's fists tighten in his lap. 'Getting all protective over the little blonde. You must like him a lot too then,' Hidan says jokingly, but Itachi had enough. This wasn't funny and this really bothered Itachi. Why couldn't Hidan just help him?

Itachi stood up out of his chair and walked of resolute. He called back he was going to the bathroom. He just needed some time alone now, so he picked the quietest one out of the bunch during lunch break. Second floor in the back. He went in and checked the stalls to make sure no one was there. Thankfully the bathroom was completely empty. Itachi splashed some water in his face, looking up at his tired face. The lines on his face got deeper with the year. He started looking like his father.

With a sigh he closed his eyes and tried blocking out all the stressful thoughts out of his head.

......

Deidara didn't want to eat lunch with Hidan today. One of the reasons was that Itachi was also sitting at the table. Another reason was that Hidan would call him out on his dramatic reaction to this. He knew his friend would be right and that was what annoyed him the most. If he wanted to react in a dramatic way, then he would. He just wanted for Itachi to like his art…

No, Itachi didn't need to like his art. There was someone else who was open to his art and that was all Deidara needed. With his head held high he walked through the hallway, aiming for a certain classroom. He knew his favorite teacher didn't eat lunch with the other teachers, because he hated them all. Deidara smiled softly as he looked through the strip of glass in the door. Sasori was sitting at his desk, grading some papers. A soft knock on the door made the muddy brown eyes look up and Deidara couldn't help but blush. Of course he still had a crush on his teacher.

Sasori sighed softly and then waved for Deidara to come in, his eyes already on the papers in front of him. Silently Deidara walked in, sitting on the chair opposite of Sasori's desk. He placed the tray of food on it and grabbed a sandwich. While glancing around the room he started eating it, happy Sasori didn't mind him being here.

'It's been a while since you last ate your lunch here,' Sasori commented, not looking up at the blonde. When Sasori first started teaching here, Deidara also was new to this school. He pitied the small fragile blonde who didn't have any friends. Sasori cared for the kid as if it was his own son and he had been glad that Deidara had finally made a friend and Hidan had been very good for him. Protected Deidara from every possible danger there was. Deidara didn't come to lunch with him anywhere and Sasori was glad Deidara didn't need to have lunch with him.

Deidara slowly swallowed the last bite of his sandwich, his blue eyes not daring to look up at Sasori. The redhead knew something was up now that he was back again. The blonde reached down for his small whiteboard and scribbled something on it. "Just been so long. I thought it would be nice."

Sasori raised an eyebrow. Deidara was lying, but Sasori wasn't one to press on. He wasn't the one to pull out the blonde's secrets of he didn't want to. Sasori glanced up at the tray and noticed another sandwich. Of course it was meant for him. Deidara always brought him some food. Without a word he grabbed it and took a bite, grading another drawing. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Deidara smiling softly. 'Brat, why aren't you having lunch with your friends?' Okay, so he was asking now, but he only asked because the smile didn't mean anything good.

A sigh left Deidara's lips as he stood up. He didn't like the question. He didn't want to answer the question. Deidara walked around the desk and glanced down at the papers. He was stalling with answering, but Sasori wouldn't let him. An arm went over the drawings and the muddy brown eyes locked with his. Deidara shuffled his feet, leaning his hip against the desk. He grabbed a note and a pen that were in reach and scribbled something down. "I just didn't feel like spending time with them today."

'What could they possibly have done to you, brat?' Sasori said a bit annoyed. What kind of excuse was that? The blue eyes turned angry and the look Sasori received told him Deidara wasn't going to answer his question any time soon. With a sigh Sasori turned his desk chair towards Deidara to talk to him easier. 'Come on, brat. It can't be that bad. Hidan has been your friend for years and I really thought Itachi and you were getting along great.'

Deidara crumbled up the piece of paper in his hand. Well, apparently Itachi and he weren't getting along that great. Itachi just didn't understand him and he just didn't want to explain himself. He grabbed another note and scribbled something new on it. "They don't understand me. You do!"

Sasori frowned. What was this all about? What in the world did he understand and Deidara's friends didn't? He didn't have a lot of time to think about it, because suddenly Deidara was leaning over him. Sasori tried leaning back in his chair, wanting to get away from Deidara, but that was as far as he could get. The voiceless boy leaned further down and suddenly his lips were on Sasori's. Quickly the redhead pushed him away, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. He could see the hurt in Deidara's blue eyes, but that was just wrong on so many levels. 'Deidara, there are many reasons why you can't kiss me. For starters it's very illegal and I could go to jail for this. Then we have the reason that I don't feel the same about you. But the biggest reason is that I am actually married,' Sasori said, trying to reason with the blonde.

A tear fell from the blue eyes and before Sasori could say or do anything else, Deidara already had run from the room. Door after door flashed beside him, but he was aiming for the end of the hallway. Just one place where he would be safe right now.

......

Suddenly the door was slammed open and quickly Itachi opened his eyes. In the door was Deidara, tear streaks on his face. Itachi wasn't sure how to react to it since they hadn't spoken in days and Deidara had been mad at him.

But Itachi didn't have to react. As soon as Deidara noticed who the other person was in the bathroom, he flung himself in Itachi's arms. His head on the raven's shoulder while he cried his eyes out. Of course Itachi didn't understand why Deidara was crying, his black shirt getting soaked with salty tears. Deidara did know why he was crying. Sasori was married? When, how, why? It felt like his heart was ripped out of his chest. Sasori had understood him, but now Deidara wasn't so sure anymore.

Two tanned hands went up and fisted Itachi's shirt, pulling the raven even closer. Itachi's eyes widened, but he didn't pull away. Deidara needed to be comforted now, so that was what he was going to do. His hands coiled around the blonde's waist and held him close. The crying was weird, no real noises coming out of Deidara's mouth. Only the sniffs of his nose made it clear Deidara was really crying. And Deidara couldn't even tell Itachi why he was crying. The blonde hadn't brought his backpack with him and neither had Itachi. How was Itachi going to help now?

The raven sighed. 'I really should learn sign language, so we can communicate without your little board,' he murmured in Deidara's hair.

The sniffing suddenly stopped and Deidara pushed himself off Itachi's chest. The fists kept him in place though, so Itachi wasn't going anywhere. The blue eyes stared deeply into Itachi's black ones and the raven wondered what Deidara was doing. Itachi had to blink a few times, noticing how sparkling those blue eyes looked due to the tears. It was really beautiful and somehow it was pulling him towards the blonde.

Soft lips were suddenly on his and without thinking he responded to the kiss. This was certainly not what Itachi had expected. He wanted to be friends with Deidara again, but this was even better. He liked those soft lips and now they were even moving back against his. He had no idea how long they had been kissing, but at some point Deidara broke the kiss and shyly looked away. It made Itachi smile and lean in for another kiss, but he only got a peck on the lips this time. Itachi was okay with that, because the next moment Deidara was holding his hand and pulling him out of the bathroom.

They walked back to Sasori's classroom and Deidara was getting a little nervous. He made sure that he never let go of Itachi's hand. Only when they had reached the classroom and he had placed Itachi in the doorway so he could see what Deidara was doing, dared he let go of the pale hand. Without meeting Sasori's eyes he grabbed his bag and got back out, quickly entwining his fingers with Itachi's again.

'I'm sorry,' Sasori whispered Deidara's way and the blonde gave him a slight nod, letting Sasori know that he knew Sasori was sorry and that it was okay. He had Itachi now and there was no way Deidara was letting go of him.


	9. Married

Lunch break wasn't over yet and Deidara and Itachi both walked back to the table where Hidan was still sitting at. But Hidan wasn't alone anymore. The weird skanky girlfriend was back. And apparently Hidan was really enjoying how she was latching onto him like some sort of leech. Both of their faces scrunched up in disgust as they saw how the girl's move was all over Hidan's face. That could not be enjoyable…

Itachi guided Deidara towards the table and sat down on one of the benches, Deidara sitting next to him and grabbing hold of his arm. He really didn't like that girl and especially not when she was acting like a whore. Itachi glanced down at Deidara, but the blonde wasn't looking back at him, his blue eyes focused on the couple on the other side of the table. When the kiss finally ended, Deidara shyly hit his face in Itachi's chest, avoiding the others as much as possible.

'I thought you two weren't talking?' Hidan asked both of them, an eyebrow raised in the air at the way Deidara was clinging onto Itachi, but the smirk said enough. Of course Hidan immediately caught on on what was happening here and he liked it a lot. His two best friends getting along like this was just great and Deidara finally stopped thinking about Sasori now.

Deidara still didn't look at Hidan, so Itachi had to answer. 'Yeah, we are talking again,' he said plainly, not wanting to explain any further. His arm coiled around the blonde's waist, pulling him closer in a protective matter. He didn't like how the girl was staring at them both and especially not at how she was looking at Deidara. What was her problem?

'Well, I am glad you are back to being friends…' He said the last word suggestively, knowing Itachi and Deidara were more than just friends. He lifted the girl a little higher up on his lap, getting a little more comfortable and Itachi didn't even want to know why. 'Now we can just hang out, just the three of us and do fun stuff,' he continued, relaxing a little and looking up at his skanky girlfriend. She was still staring at them with a weird look on her face.

Carefully Deidara dared to look at Hidan and the girl again, peeking at them. Now he finally saw the foul look he got from the girl, the expression recognized immediately. What was her problem with him? His hold tightened around Itachi, making the raven look down at him. Itachi leaned down, whispering in Deidara's ear so no one else would hear him. 'Are you okay?' he asked softy, his black eyes capturing blue ones. The blonde shook his head in response, his hold on Itachi's shirt tightening. Itachi sighed. He really didn't know how to handle this, so his just wrapped both of his arms around Deidara and pulled him close. 'I wish I knew sign language already, so you could just tell me quickly,' he said, feeling very defeated.

Blue eyes looked up at him again, an unreadable look on his face. Quickly he turned, grabbing his white board out of his bag and scribbled something on it. "Would you really learn sign language for me?" It said, Deidara looking up at him with curious eyes now. This was something very new to Deidara. No one had ever learned sign language for him except his family and even Naruto sometimes failed at it still.

A blush spread on Itachi's face and he glanced away from Deidara when he responded. He hadn't noticed that even Hidan was staring at him, wanting to know the answer as badly as Deidara wanted. He had never even thought about learning sign language and Itachi just thought he should after knowing the blonde only for a little while. What they had must be more special than Hidan thought at first.

'Yeah, uhh, I mean if we stay, uhh, friends, I think I should learn sign language, right?' The black eyes went back to Deidara, wanting to know what his answer to the question was. The blonde's blue eyes snapped down, thinking about what Itachi had said. There was something he didn't really like about the question, so he scribbled down one single word on the white board.

"Friends?" It said and Itachi blinked at it once, a soft smile forming on his lips. He didn't want to say it out loud, so he just scribbled something in front of the word, changing it and then turned it towards Deidara, so only he could see it. "Boyfriends".

A big smile formed on Deidara's luscious lips and he threw his arms around Itachi's neck, pulling him down for a kiss. This kind of shocked Itachi since they were out in the open of a public high school and who knows what they would think of it. But those lips were so soft and he couldn't help but respond to them. And then he heard a puking sound, getting their attention.

Both stared at the skanky girl, seeing her disgusted face and how she still made throwing up noises. Even Hidan was staring at her as if she had gone mad. 'What the hell is your problem?' Hidan asked her unbelievably.

The girl turned towards him. 'So you are okay with this? Two guys kissing right in front of everyone? I just think it's disgusting and they should do that somewhere where they don't bother anyone with it.' Itachi was so mad right now and really wanted to attack the woman. How dare she talk like that while she was the biggest skank of the whole school?

Hidan pushed her off his lap and shot her a sickened look. 'You are seriously judging them for kissing in public while you did much worse stuff in public? You wanted to blow me right in the hallway in front of everyone just moments ago. You are one sick woman,' Hidan shot her. This was just insane. How dare she even talk about his friends this way? What was her problem? Hidan only was her boyfriend, because she put out. He got laid enough when he was with her, but that was over. He valued his friends a lot more.

'So you are okay with your friends being gay? I mean who knows how long Deidara has been after you? I bet every time he looked at you, he was thinking very different things.' Okay, this woman was seriously bizarre.

Just at that moment Sasori came walking towards them, wanting to give something back to Deidara, but he just caught the last bit that the girl said. The redhead stared at her for a moment, a blank expression on his face. The girl knew she was caught and didn't dare to say anything more now a teacher was present. 'Miss, do you have a problem with homosexuality?' Sasori asked, cocking his head to the side in a curious matter.

The girl shook her head, her porn blond hair sweeping from left to right. Deidara was sure it would fall off due to using too much bleach. And of course she would say now she didn't have a problem with gays now that a teacher was with them.

Sasori nodded, his brown eyes looking away from her. 'Good, because I wanted to invite my husband to the dance party the school is having next week and I don't want him to be uncomfortable.' He shot her a sweet fake smile. 'You see, he's a little shy, so I can't have anyone saying bad things to him. I want him to enjoy the party.'

Deidara almost fell out of his chair when he heard the word husband. When Sasori had said he was married, the blonde just assumed it was a woman. But Sasori was actually married to a guy?! He needed to know more about this. How long had they been married? Did Deidara actually ever have a chance then? So many questions needed to be answered.

And then Itachi asked the first question for him. 'I didn't know you were married, sir. What's his name?' Itachi held a certain gleam in his black eyes, liking the fact that Sasori was married. Now Deidara surely couldn't be attracted to Sasori anymore. He wouldn't want to break up a marriage.

Sasori glanced at Itachi and his brown eyes then went to Deidara, smiling at the how they were still holding onto each other. 'Yes, we've been married for about three years now. His name is Nagato and I met him many years ago in my high school years. So don't ever let little girls who don't understand what you feel for each other get between you two. I am the living example that it can work out just fine.' He nodded at them one more time before walking off, getting ready for his next class, leaving the whole table completely flabbergasted.

The girl broke the silence to everyone's displeasure. 'Well, that was unexpected. What an asshole,' she stated and no one really hard words to respond. Hidan's responds was good enough for them all. He just pushed her off the bench and set her out of the group. He didn't need a girlfriend like that, didn't matter how often she put out for him.

'Well, I'll have to find myself a new girlfriend now, but what's up with Sasori being married?' Hidan asked, trying to lighten the mood and it worked. They all broke down in laughs, well Itachi and Hidan did since Deidara couldn't really, but his face showed off how much he enjoyed this. 'Did you know he was gay?' Hidan then asked unbelievably, glancing at the other two.

Deidara shook his head, still a wide smile on his face. Itachi chuckled again. 'I think no one really knew at this school, but everyone will know next week at the party. I'm very curious to what this husband of his looks like though.' Itachi glanced down at Deidara and the blonde was nodding his head vigorously. They all wanted to know that. Who would Sasori be attracted to? They had been together for such a long time as well.

The thought made Itachi blush. They were together since high school and are still happily married as far as the raven could tell. Now that Deidara and he were sort of together, he wondered if they would actually manage to stay that long together. He certainly hoped so, but that was just a feeling for now. It could all still change.

But now he just wanted to kiss Deidara, so he leaned down again, capturing those soft lips into another long kiss. He didn't care if anyone saw it now. They had someone on their side now and it wasn't something to be ashamed of, right? Maybe he would tell his father later, when he was like married to Deidara already and decided to move to the other end of the country.

Just forget about your father and kiss him, idiot. And so Itachi did for as long as the lunch break still took.


	10. Getting ready

It was currently very crowded in Deidara's bedroom. Everyone had gathered there to get ready for the party, but the blonde didn't really mind. He was in front of his mirror, fixing his hair as best as he could. Hidan was sitting on his bed, making comments about the fact he was fixing his hair and then laughing hysterically at it. Sometimes he really wished he could have fast comebacks and shut Hidan the hell up, but this way he could ignore it even better. There were some benefits to not being able to talk and it's not like Deidara really knows any better.

Itachi was rummaging through his closet, picking out an outfit for Deidara to wear. The blonde wasn't sure why Itachi wanted to pick his clothes, but he didn't really mind. It was nice of Itachi to do something like that and while the raven was picking out clothes, his little brother was actually teaching him some signs. Deidara did have to step in from time to time, making sure Itachi wasn't learning some different words… Naruto could be such a brat.

His parents also checked on them like every ten minutes and Deidara would just glare at them, forcing them to leave again, but of course they stayed. It was already bad enough they teased him with having a boyfriend when Itachi wasn't around, but the aws his mom was letting out every time they were a little closer to each other was just embarrassing. He even threatened them through sign language, but then Naruto translated it for Itachi, which made it even more embarrassing. Deidara just wanted to get out of here and get to the damn party!

Two arms coiled around Deidara's waist and he could feel someone's hot breath on his neck. Couldn't be anyone else besides Itachi. Their eyes met in the mirror and Deidara couldn't help but smile back shyly. It still felt so weird to suddenly have a boyfriend, but he definitely liked it.

'Got your outfit ready,' Itachi said softly. He turned Deidara around and held up a dark blue jeans and a purple t-shirt with some sort of fun print on it. Deidara didn't remember ever buying it, but it looked good. He took the clothes from Itachi and then pointed to the door, signaling that he would go change in the bathroom. He definitely wasn't going to change in front of all these people. Hidan would just make fun of him, Naruto would definitely join in and what would Itachi even think? That would make the whole situation way too uncomfortable and with his luck, right at that moment his parents would walk in as well. So no thank you, the bathroom would be fine.

When he finally got his clothes on and had checked if his hair still looked good, he was ready. But then his eyes fell on his mother's make-up bag. He had tried out the eyeliner before and actually liked the way it looked on him, but would the others think the same? He decided to just go for it and drew a line around his eyes. He checked it for smudges, but actually liked the outcome.

A soft knock on the door pulled him out of his thoughts and before he could react, the door was already opened. Had he seriously not locked the door? Thankfully it was only Itachi and he stayed in the doorway, leaning against the door post. The dark eyes looked him up and down and then settled on his face. 'You look good,' Itachi said softly, smiling at Deidara. 'I like the line around your eyes. Really makes them pop out.'

Itachi motioned for Deidara to come closer and shyly the blonde did, leaning his body against Itachi's. Arms were wrapped around him again and he sighed in content. He really did feel good and he was glad he got some alone time with Itachi now. Unfortunately he had forgotten his white board, so he couldn't talk with him.

'I've learned a lot of signs today, so soon you can actually talk to me,' Itachi said, lifting Deidara's head so they were looking at each other. 'Naruto says I'm a natural,' he ended. This only made Deidara roll his eyes and then shooting Itachi a skeptical look. Naruto could say a lot of things, but he definitely wasn't the best teacher since he still messed up a lot of times. The raven just chuckled at Deidara's reaction, not commenting on it any further.

Deidara kept looking up at Itachi, unsure of what to do now. He was still being held, so he couldn't just walk away and get back into his room. He didn't even really want to. So he just put his own arms around Itachi's neck and pulled him a little closer. Itachi immediately knew what he wanted and planted a soft kiss on Deidara's lips. They just stood there for a while, their lips moving over each other, their tongues massaging the others. Both boys were so focused on each other and the kiss they shared, that they hadn't heard someone coming up behind them.

'Aww, you two are just too damn cute together,' Deidara heard his mother say and with wide eyes he pulled away from Itachi and glanced over the raven's shoulder. Not only was his mom there, but also his dad and his little brother and of course Hidan with the biggest grin on his face. A huge blush spread on Deidara's face and quickly he completely stepped away from Itachi.

Itachi turned and smirked at the group. 'Great way to ruin the mood,' he commented and he was glad when Deidara's father started laughing along. It was something he would never see his own father do. He really felt at home in this place, unlike he ever felt in the homes he had lived in with his own family. Now he just has to think of a way to tell his family that he was now dating a guy. Hopefully they would be just as happy as Deidara's parents, but he knew it was a long shot.

Then Itachi got pushed out of the door way and he earned a glare from Deidara. He softly kissed the blonde on his cheek and then pulled him out of the bathroom, towards the stairs down. It was so easy to get Deidara smiling again, because now he knew they were about to go.

Happily Deidara ran down the stairs, jumping up and down at the bottom, waiting for the rest to come as well. Itachi was the first one downstairs as well and then Hidan joined them. Minato was going to take them to the school and would pick them up as well. Itachi could've driven them, but Minato thought this would be safer. He knew what things could happen at these school parties. Booze would be brought in by other students and this way he could keep an eye on them when they got back. He definitely didn't want a drunk Itachi behind the wheel.

As soon as the front door was opened, Deidara ran out it, towards the car. He didn't have to shout shotgun, he just was the first to arrive at the car, hence taken the front seat. Hidan chuckled at the sight of the happy blonde, nudging Itachi against his arm. 'You are in for some dancing tonight, man. Deidara just loves to dance at these kinds of occasions and as his boyfriend you are screwed,' Hidan said with a grin.

Itachi could only smile at the comment, not really minding dancing with Deidara at all. 'Well, at least I have a dance partner. What about you?' Itachi responded sarcastically, referring to his recent single life.

Hidan grumbled something under his breath and gave Itachi a friendly push. Hidan didn't really like the single life since he wasn't getting laid anymore, but knowing Hidan he wouldn't be single for long. There were always girls after him. Itachi had no idea what the girls really saw in him since he could be kind of a jerk, but the guy was sort of handsome. Not Itachi's type, but handsome. Probably a good thing that Hidan wasn't gay since he might have gotten to Deidara before Itachi had then.

'By the way, I'm really glad you two are together now. I knew you two would become friends eventually, but this is even better. I've never seen him happier.' They had reached the car and Hidan stopped Itachi from getting in to say this. Itachi could see Minato's eyes on them, following the conversation as best as he could. Itachi understood Minato wanted to hear, but this made it a little uncomfortable.

'Thank you. It's been a while since I've felt this happy. Better than my home situation,' Itachi eventually said, shooting Hidan a knowing smile. He knew all about his family and the moving and all the other stuff.

With a nod and a pat on the shoulder Hidan got in the car. That's when Itachi's and Minato's eyes met and with a soft smile, Minato stepped in the car as well. At least Itachi had given the right answer, so he felt okay getting in the car.

The drive wasn't too long and soon they arrived. The parking lot was crowded with students, some indeed drinking already. Deidara didn't care about them at all, only staring at the lights coming out of the school building. He signed something at his father and then jumped out of the car, the door slamming closed behind him. Hidan just chuckled and got out right after him, not wanting to let Deidara get alone inside.

Minato then turned around to look at Itachi. The silence was killing and Itachi shifted a bit under the gaze of the blue eyed man. 'If it gets pretty late tonight, you can always stay at our place. It might not be a good time to disturb your family at those odd hours and we have a guestroom available,' Minato said, a smile forming on his lips again.

Itachi was stunned. He definitely hadn't expected that and somehow he found himself accepting the offer. Of course he wanted to stay with the happy family, feeling real family love for the first time. He loved the house and liked spending time there. Feeling rather numb he got out of the car, immediately an arm latching on to his. It pulled him out of his thoughts and he saw his blonde smiling up at him. Another reason why he would be delighted to stay with them. Now he could spend the whole Saturday with his boyfriend.

They got in line and after flashing their student cards they got in the school, immediately aiming for the cafeteria where the party was. Loud music met them on their way there and Deidara started walking faster and faster the closer they got. He just wanted to get on that dance floor. Itachi was forced to come with since the blonde was still holding on tight. But when they actually got there and Deidara was about to get on the dance floor, Itachi stopped him.

'First we get a drink,' Itachi commented, pulling Deidara right back to the long table where punch and other stuff was standing on. Itachi reached for the red punch, but was stopped by a man standing beside it.

He looked up at a thin looking man with blood red hair that covered up one of his grey eyes. 'I wouldn't drink that if you aren't planning on getting drunk,' the guy spoke with a soft smile. Itachi had no idea who this guy was and if he was even a teacher at this school, but the look Deidara shot him told him he was definitely not a teacher here.

The grey eyes went to Deidara, as if he was at least expecting an answer out of one of the two and they had been awfully quiet. 'S-sorry, thanks for the warning. We were definitely not planning on getting drunk. And Deidara has no voice, so he can't say something back.' Itachi shot the guy an apologetic look, but the grey eyes were widened and again focused on Deidara.

'Oh my, Sasori has told me so much about you. Glad to finally meet you Deidara. I'm Nagato, Sasori's husband.'


	11. Dinner invite

A pale hand was extended Deidara's way and the blonde eyed it wearily. Eventually he took it and shook Nagato's hand, a soft smile playing on his lips. The guy seemed nice and at least he knew Sasori had been talking about him. That should mean he wasn't just a student. Deidara's blue eyes then slid towards Itachi, nodding at him to introduce himself to Nagato as well.

Itachi's eyes narrowed a little at Deidara, wondering what he had been thinking about. But Deidara's face didn't show anything, so he just turned to Nagato and shook his hand as well. 'Itachi Uchiha, nice to meet you Nagato,' he said politely, bowing a bit for the older man. Something his father had taught him. Always bow for the ones who are older and therefore worth more than you. It didn't make sense to him, but he could never quite stop it.

'Nice to meet you as well. Are you also in Sasori's class?' Nagato asked, setting a plastic cup against his lips and taking a sip of his drink. The grey eyes followed Deidara when the blonde decided to step closer and attach himself to Itachi's arm. He had wondered before if they were together, but now he had enough proof. Sasori had mentioned something about a guy liking Deidara, so this must be him. He couldn't help but give them a sad smile, knowing how hard their life could be. He was happy for them of course, because finding someone is just the best feeling there is. Nagato still couldn't imagine a life without Sasori.

Itachi didn't see the smile and only answered his question with a small yes, but Deidara had seen it. He always read people better than most others, but he didn't understand why they got the sad smile. He had been looking at their joined hands, so was there something wrong with them being together? Had Sasori said something about it? He was sure Sasori had approved of them being together in a way by defending them. Too bad he couldn't just ask what was going on, so instead he put a little space between Itachi and himself.

His hands went up as he tried to think of a way to ask a question. He hadn't brought his board since he hadn't had a place to keep it. He thoughtful look crept up his face as he pointed at Nagato. Then he formed a little heart with his hands and ended it with motioning towards the whole room as to say 'where?' It had been a difficult task and he had no idea if he even made sense, but he certainly hoped so.

Nagato looked very confused, having no idea what Deidara had meant by that. Fortunately there was someone who did and he was currently chuckling, finding Deidara very funny. The blonde gave him a soft push, pretending he was very annoyed, but even he could see that he had looked pretty dumb. 'What Deidara meant to ask was, where is Sasori?' Itachi said, still looking at Deidara with a big smile on his face.

A small blush crept up on the redhead's face and it confused the two boys. Why was Nagato blushing? The question hadn't been that weird, had it? 'I actually have no idea. That's why I stayed here out of everybody's way. I'm not really good at talking to strangers,' he said shyly, gaze shot downwards.

'But you are talking to us right now?' Itachi asked confused and Deidara nodded, agreeing with the question.

The grey eyes looked up at them again, a small shy smile forming on his lips. 'Yeah, well. It kind of felt like I know Deidara since Sasori talks about him a lot, so that made it less scary. I was kind of curious who Deidara really was actually. He talks so fatherly about you, you know,' he directed to the blonde.

Deidara was stunned. He hadn't expected to hear that. Fatherly? Well, that was certainly something else than he previously wanted. That actually made it kind of creepy. Nagato was still watching him, waiting for Deidara to respond in any way, but Deidara just didn't know how. Desperately he looked at Itachi, but he was at loss as well.

Nagato saw the exchange of looks and knew that this wouldn't work. 'Uhm, okay. I know you can't answer me, so I will just ask you a weird question you just have to answer by nodding yes or shaking no. Would you like to have dinner at our place sometime? I would really like to get to know you and see how sweet you really are.' The redhead shot him a soft smile, hoping it would encourage Deidara a bit.

Blue eyes widened at the question and a huge blush spread on his face when he heard the word sweet. So Sasori found him sweet as well. He quickly nodded his head and then clung to Itachi again, burying his face into the crook of Itachi's neck.

A soft laugh escaped the redhead's lips as he looked at Deidara's reaction. 'Okay, you are indeed very cute and I must say you two look really good together,' he complimented and in reaction to it Itachi's wrapped his arms around Deidara and held him even closer. Nagato was now looking at the raven's face, deciding something else. 'Itachi, would you join us for dinner then. I'm sure Sasori would like to know more about you now you are dating Deidara.'

'I would love to,' Itachi stammered, his eyes widened a little. He was never invited over for dinner anywhere, being the so called rotten one of the family. Maybe it was a little weird that this was his teacher's house, but he still liked the offer.

Suddenly another redhead joined them, but he only had eye for Nagato. His arm coiled around the slightly taller redhead and he looked up in the soft grey eyes. 'I have been looking for you everywhere. Please stay close to me as of now. I don't like losing you in this crowd,' Sasori said, glaring at the crowded dance floor.

Nagato smiled softly and leaned down for a kiss which Sasori answered gladly. Itachi and Deidara stood beside them a bit awkwardly, no idea how to handle this kind of situation. You never really wanted to see your teacher kiss someone, didn't matter who it was or how well you knew them. It was just plain weird. Thankfully Nagato realized this in time. He broke the kiss and made Sasori look at the two boys in front of them.

'I invited these two over for dinner,' he stated, smiling down at his partner.

Sasori blushed a little when he noticed Itachi and Deidara. This was very awkward and he wished he had known this sooner. 'Oh, okay,' he responded. 'When?'

'We hadn't discussed that yet, so that would be the next step,' Nagato said, serious expression now in his face and determined to pick a date. Nagato offered a day which Sasori responded to with a no, then Sasori came with a day and Nagato said no and this went on and on for a while. Itachi raised an eyebrow at the scene, finding it very strange how they talked about this. Deidara on the other hand found it endearing. How they talked about their daily businesses and how they also still did stuff without the other. Apparently Nagato did some sort of Origami course with a friend of his.

Sasori suddenly turned towards them again. It appeared that they had come to a conclusion. 'Can you two make Wednesday next week. I'll pick you up after school and we can go to our house together?' he offered and Deidara glanced at Itachi for approval. His parents wouldn't mind, but he wasn't sure about Itachi's parents.

'That should be fine for us both. We will be there,' Itachi said, nodding at Sasori.

They all nodded in conclusion and then the awkwardness crept back. They all stood there unsure of what to look at. Eventually Deidara started pulling on Itachi's arm, wanting to get to the dance floor already. They both waved goodbye at the happy couple and finally made it to the dance floor. Screw the drinks, Deidara wanted to dance!

Hidan had already found himself a new lady and was latched onto her, well more to her back side. He was grinding his hips against her and she didn't seem to mind at all. Deidara just rolled his eyes at the smirk and the thumbs up and turned back towards Itachi. The raven really had no idea how to dance properly, so he hoped Deidara would help him out.

And Deidara of course was happy to help. He wrapped his arms around Itachi's neck and pulled the raven close. Two pale hands were placed on his hips and now Deidara started moving to the music, making Itachi move along. They just slow danced to every song that came on and somehow Deidara didn't really care. Usually he danced like a crazy person the whole night which gave Hidan a good laugh, but now he just wanted to dance with Itachi.

The blonde laid his head on Itachi's shoulder and gazed over the dance floor. His eyes fell on a couple still standing by the table filled with drinks. Nagato had his arms wrapped around Sasori's neck just like Deidara had around Itachi's. First Deidara found it a sweet image, how they were softly kissing each other and the smiles present on their faces. But then he started following Sasori's hands and saw that they weren't innocently placed on Nagato's hips, but actually went all the way to the back and were positioned on Nagato's… Quickly he looked away, embarrassed of what he had just seen.

Itachi's arms tightened a little around Deidara as he folded them around Deidara's back. He had missed the whole scene Deidara had just witnessed and was unaware of how awkward the blonde currently felt. 'You know your father offered for me to spend the night at your house tonight,' he murmured, slowly swaying to the music still.

Deidara leaned back a little, shooting Itachi a bewildered look. Sleeping at his place? That didn't mean something else right? Because he surely didn't want that. Then Itachi should just sleep at his own place.

'He said you had a spare room where I could stay, so I thought it was a good idea,' Itachi continued, oblivious to Deidara's inner turmoil. 'That way we can spend the whole day together tomorrow as well. I thought maybe we could do something together. Go to the movies or something?'

That was when Deidara finally understood Itachi. Thankfully his boyfriend wasn't that much of a perv. He was also Hidan's friend, so it wouldn't be that weird if he was. Deidara was sure that if Hidan had been his boyfriend that he had tried smooth talking his way into Deidara's bed already. He was very glad that Hidan was in no way interested in him.

In response he smiled at Itachi and then pulled him into a kiss. They both melted into the kiss, their tongues swiping through each other's mouths. Deidara liked being this close to the raven and wished this moment never had to end. Of course he heard Hidan's stupid remarks, but as usual it was easy to ignore. Like he had anything to say with that blond bimbo attached to his face.

Okay, maybe the remarks were getting on his nerves now. Deidara broke the kiss and took a step away from Itachi. He felt a bit dizzy due to the kiss. He had to shake his head to be able to see clearly again. Wow, that had been one hell of a kiss. He signed home at Itachi, hoping the raven knew that sign already. Fortunately he did and as their hands found the other's, they quickly made their way to the door. Deidara texted his dad to come and get them, but now they still had about fifteen minutes to kill. Of course they already found a good way to spend their time together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now I will be updating this story every day :) Hope you enjoyed it so far


	12. Nothing against your will

Lips were attached to one another again and hands had sneaked under clothes, trying to get a feel of the other's naked skin. For now Deidara didn't mind much, but he didn't want to go further than this. It just felt really nice to have Itachi's pale skin under the palm of his hand… And he could tell Itachi was enjoying it as well with the way the raven was pressing him against the school wall, abusing his lips as much as he could. Something else also told Deidara that Itachi really enjoyed their little private time together, but he chose to ignore that.

It wasn't long before headlights of a car lit up the school grounds, putting the kissing couple in the spotlight. Immediately Deidara pushed Itachi off him, not wanting his dad to see what had just happened. Of course it was hard to hide with the red bruised lips and the flushed faces, but still it was better for his father to not see it happening. It was embarrassing enough they had to straighten out their clothes. Itachi didn't really seem to mind though and just pulled Deidara along by his wrist towards the car. Why was this guy so cool? Deidara sometimes really felt like a complete loser next to his boyfriend. Itachi was just so collected and didn't seem to care about anything… Except maybe about him. The thought alone put a smile on Deidara's face.

Itachi opened the door for Deidara and let the blonde slide in first on the backseat couch. After that he sat down himself and put on his seatbelt. Needed to make a good impression in front of Deidara's father.

'I'm assuming this means Hidan is walking home?' Minato asked, glancing over his shoulder at the two teens.

Immediately Deidara put his hands up and started signing profanities about one certain silver haired male, while his eyebrows were furrowed in anger and his blue eyes were darkening by the second. Carefully Itachi started pushing Deidara's hands back down, placing them in the blonde's lap. He already knew all those words since Naruto thought it would be funny to start there. This didn't mean he didn't agree with Deidara, but it would be better if his dad didn't get to see all those words he used for Hidan. It was a lost cause though since Deidara always used those signs for Hidan.

The older blonde turned back around and started the car. 'Got it,' he only responded with and drove them back home.

All stayed completely silent. The only sounds filling the car were caused by the car itself. Of course Deidara just couldn't say something anyway and Itachi just enjoyed the quietness while still holding the blonde's hands. It wasn't an awkward silence and no one really seemed to mind. It was already pretty late and Minato just wanted to go to bed after this. Kushina had already left him an hour ago to sleep and he couldn't wait to follow her. Hopefully Naruto would be in bed already as well, because otherwise he needed to send the kid to bed. It wasn't like he wasn't allowed to stay up long, but Naruto just always forgot to actually go to sleep after midnight. Once he walked in on him playing videogames at seven in the morning. Very fine if he hadn't stayed awake all night…

The car pulled up on the driveway, waking the two teens up out of their light slumber. Itachi immediately got out, but it took some time before Deidara actually managed to climb out of the car as well. Car rides just always made him so sleepy. Minato was staring up at the house, focusing on one of the windows where the lights were still on. Naruto's room. He would first need to deal with that…

Deidara didn't pay any attention to his surroundings. He just leaned against Itachi's warm body and let the raven guide him to the house and up the stairs. Minato waved at them, saying he would lock up before going upstairs as well.

As they reached the top of the stairs, Deidara glanced up at Itachi. The raven would need some pyjamas… This time Deidara grabbed Itachi by the wrist and guided him towards his own room. He pointed at his bed telling Itachi to sit down on it while he went for his closet, rummaging through it for something nice to sleep in. The only thing he could find was a shirt that was too big for him, so should fit Itachi fine. He held it up and handed it to Itachi with a sweet smile on his face.

A perfectly shaped black eyebrow was raised in a question, wondering what Deidara wanted from him. And the only response he got to that was Deidara motioning to him to do something with the shirt with an annoyed look on the blonde's face. So Itachi started undressing, keeping only his boxers on and pulled on the white t-shirt. It really hugged his body tightly, but would be comfortable enough to sleep in.

When Itachi turned back to Deidara to show he was done changing, he was met with an almost naked blonde. Deidara paid no attention to him as he grabbed a pair of pyjama pants and pulled it on, keeping his torso bare. Itachi was at a loss of words, not having expected to see his boyfriend in only his boxers for a brief moment. He did like the sight of the naked chest though and how the bit of tan actually went all the way down. Itachi really liked the bit of colour on Deidara's body.

Deidara turned completely towards Itachi and then noticed his boyfriend staring at him like some kind of idiot. He waved his hand in front of Itachi's eyes, hoping this would make him snap out of it and luckily it did. With a roll of the eyes Deidara then pulled the raven towards the bathroom, pointing at a toothbrush for Itachi there and grabbing his own.

They brushed their teeth in silence, for as much as that was possible of course. But they kept shooting each other sneaky glances through the mirror above the sink. Smiles were exchanged and soon Itachi's hands shot towards Deidara's side and tickled him. The blonde doubled over, trying to get away from Itachi, but it was already too late. He found himself in Itachi's arms only a minute later. Deidara tried pushing him off, but of course the raven was much stronger than him. With a sigh Deidara gave up, leaning his head back against Itachi's shoulder while he lazily kept brushing his teeth.

Itachi had to release the blonde at some point, both of them needing to spit out their toothpaste. And the blonde also quickly wiped the make-up off his face, leaving his face completely bare again as well.

But soon Deidara found himself back in Itachi arms, his bare back pressed against the soft t-shirt and a smirking raven lingering right above his shoulder. Awkwardly Itachi made them walk back out of the bathroom, making Deidara smile once more. Itachi saw this as their time to part since he had to sleep in the guest room, so he wrapped his arms a little tighter around the blonde and leaned down to whisper in his ear.

'Where's the guestroom?'

Sparkling blue eyes go up to look at Itachi, blinking once to let the question actually get through to him and then Deidara realised he didn't want Itachi to leave his side yet. He just wanted to keep the raven around, just for now.

Before Itachi could even comprehend it, he was already pulled inside of Deidara's room, the blonde standing against the closed door to keep the raven there. With a smile Deidara hoped Itachi would understand what he wanted and it was answered by one of Itachi's soft smiles.

The raven sat down on the bed, patting beside him for Deidara to join, but the blonde had other plans first. He ran to his desk and grabbed his brush, combing out his long blond hair so it wouldn't be a complete mess in the morning. When it looked sleek enough and he could easily pull his fingers through the long locks, Deidara thought he was ready. With his hair around him like a veil Deidara walked back to the bed and Itachi, only to find the raven staring at him again. This time he snapped out of it himself though.

'You look so beautiful,' Itachi whispered, still staring at his boyfriend.

With a huge blush on his face Deidara sat down on the bed, but started pushing Itachi backwards on it, wanting to get under the blankets instead. When Itachi finally got the hint, they both crawled under them and faced each other. They both were smiling again, really appearing like some love sick puppies and they probably were anyway.

Deidara brought his hand up and wiped away a strong black lock of hair from Itachi's face, letting his thumb linger a little longer on the soft pale cheek. It just felt nice touching the raven even if it was such a small gesture.

It made Itachi scoot a little closer to Deidara, wanting to feel some more of that body heat and when the blonde noticed that, he did the same thing. Soon they had their arms wrapped around each other again, Deidara's arms around Itachi's neck and Itachi's arms around Deidara's waist. The raven pulled Deidara a little closer, entangling their legs together. The blonde couldn't resist now and leaned in for a kiss, closing his eyes while he did so.

The kiss didn't seem very special. No battling tongues, no chests heaving due to a lack of oxygen. It just seemed lazy and slow, but both really enjoyed it nonetheless. It felt like it was more than something lust filled, wanting to feel more of each other. This felt real.

Itachi soon felt the need to do more and followed his instincts by slowly pushing Deidara down on the bed while getting on top of him. This was when the blonde realised they were going too far. He wasn't ready for this and it wouldn't matter how badly Itachi wanted it. Deidara would still say no or sign no.

Deidara placed his hand on Itachi's chest and carefully pushed him away, breaking the kiss in the process. It took Itachi some time to realise what happened as he kept staring down at Deidara with darkened eyes. With a few blinks of the eyes he slowly pushed himself off Deidara and flopped down beside the blonde. Of course Deidara still felt guilty, especially after Itachi hadn't said a word anymore and he didn't know what to do now. It wasn't like he could easily ask if everything was alright between them, having no voice and all. His hands reached for the sheets and he started fumbling with it, showing off the awkward feeling he was having.

Of course the raven noticed and he sighed softly after a smile spread across his face. 'It's okay, Dei. I'm not going to pressure you into something you don't want. You are much more special than that.'

Slowly Deidara turned back to Itachi and stared at him a bit unbelieving, but as he saw that Itachi really meant what he said, a smile broke out on his face again. He crawled back towards Itachi and snuggled up against him, placing his head on Itachi's chest. He listened to Itachi's steady heartbeat and took comfort out of it. When he noticed it was lulling him to sleep, he leaned up and gave Itachi a quick kiss on the lips to let him know he was going to bed. But when he wanted to lie back down, something stopped him. His blue eyes were still focused on Itachi's face and the raven actually raised an eyebrow at him, wondering what was going on in the blonde's mind.

Deidara brought his hands up and quickly signed something, hoping Itachi wouldn't know the meaning of it and then indeed laid back down on Itachi's chest. When Itachi didn't reply, he was happy, because that must've meant the raven didn't know what it means. And as Deidara closed his eyes, ready to finally sleep, Itachi did respond.

'I love you too, Dei.'


	13. Family

A soft light was peeking through little holes left open by the curtain, signalling it was morning already. Deidara hated it when light shone through his curtains, wanting it to be as dark as it could be in his room. He slept better then and could actually sleep in, unlike now. Annoyed he opened one bright blue eyes, staring daggers at one of the gaps that was aiming a sunbeam right in his face. He moved a little in his spot and only then noticed he was not touching his mattress, but something else that was a little harder to the touch and also a lot warmer. His eyes widened a little as he remembered what had happened last night and he swallowed heavily, hoping Itachi didn't notice he was up already.

'Morning, sunshine,' Itachi said softly, noticing by the movements Deidara made that the blonde was up. He found the nickname fitting, seeing that his blond hair did remind him of the sun and that it seemed to be a beautiful day outside as well. Time to get out and do something, Itachi thought.

Deidara turned his head to Itachi, a lazy expression on his face as he had already forgotten why this moment should be awkward. No one called him sunshine and got away with it. He poked the raven against his forehead and then quickly crawled off Itachi and stepped out of bed. His hand went to the back as he lazily scratched his behind, pulling his pyjama pants just that little lower to give Itachi a nice peek. The raven definitely didn't mind, but he didn't think Deidara would be such a tease, even if the blonde wasn't aware of this fact.

While Itachi watched Deidara move through his room, the blonde was fixing his hair. Brushing it once again and then putting it in a messy bun on top of his head. Itachi had never thought about doing something different with his hair. He always just put it in a ponytail and be done with it. So much easier than what Deidara must go through every morning, but of course Deidara also had the hair to show off now.

When Deidara had found a sweater to cover up his torso he turned around and signed food to Itachi, knowing the raven wouldn't know breakfast yet, but Naruto definitely taught him food. It was like one of the most important things in Naruto's life, especially if it was ramen. Itachi probably knew ramen as well.

Itachi wouldn't be asked a second time, quickly jumping out of bed and pulling on his clothes he had worn yesterday. He was probably a bit overdressed, but he hadn't brought any other clothes, so it just had to do.

He followed after Deidara who was already halfway down the stairs and almost ran into Minato there. The male shot Deidara a look and the blonde quickly went downstairs, seeing it as a warning. Yes, Minato wanted to talk to Itachi in private for a moment and the raven was already scared of what was about to come. He hadn't done anything wrong as far as he knew, but he wasn't a parent. Minato could be angry about a lot of things. Even that he had caught them kissing on the school grounds. This might be very bad.

Minato waved Itachi a little away from the stairway, knowing at least Deidara was listening in to their conversation if they stayed there, but he was pretty sure Naruto was there to support his son and if he knew his wife well enough, which he does, she would be standing right next to them. Sometimes he really felt like he was the only parent in this house.

'Yesterday I invited you to spend the night here, because I trusted you,' he started, looking up at the ceiling for a moment, before glaring right back into those deep dark orbs. 'But today I find out you spend the night in my son's room while I clearly stated there was a spare room available.' He then threateningly stepped forward, getting right in Itachi's personal space. His voice turned into a mere whisper, but it was enough to get the message across. 'If I find out you forced my son into anything he doesn't want, I'll be sure to make you pay. No one touches my son without permission. Do I make myself clear?'

Itachi's eyes had widened a bit at the accusations, knowing it wasn't strange what Minato was thinking, but really nothing had happened. It was Deidara who had invited him in his bed in the first place and they hadn't done anything but sleep. 'Sir, you do not need to worry. I would never force Deidara into anything. We only slept, nothing more. We just didn't want to leave each other's side after the great evening we had together,' Itachi said honestly, his cheeks flushing a slight red. He had never been so forward with his feelings, although he hadn't really said anything. It just already meant a lot to him.

Minato stayed silent for a moment and just stared at Itachi. Slowly a smile broke out on his lips and he placed his hand on the raven's shoulder. 'I knew I could trust you. Deidara always did know who the good guys were, so I guess I should trust my son and therefore trust you.' Before Itachi could respond, Minato was already walking towards the stairs and went the first few steps down. For a moment he glanced back, a sad smile on his face. 'At some point the time comes where a father needs to let go of his son and let the boy live his own life.'

When the oldest blonde came down, Deidara jumped in front of him, a worried expression on his face. Itachi followed right behind Minato and bright blue eyes shot from his father to the raven and back to his father again. Both shot him a smile and at that Deidara let out a relieved sigh, glad nothing bad had happened and Itachi wasn't chased out of the house or something. It had happened before, so it wasn't such a strange thought, but that had been Hidan and he had been chased out by his mother… Because he had said something about his whorish girlfriend which hadn't been so friendly. It had been totally deserved of course.

'Breakfast ready?' Minato then asked happily, gaining a glare from Deidara who still didn't really trust this whole situation. Everything might seem alright, but the fact still remained that his father thought it was necessary to talk to his boyfriend. Quickly Deidara got to Itachi and clung to his arm, dragging the raven to the kitchen where breakfast was served already, shooting yet another glare over his shoulder at his father.

Itachi was a bit confused by it all, because there was definitely being something exchanged between the two blondes and that got even clearer when they started signing stuff each other at lightning speed. Itachi could definitely not keep up, but Naruto, who was sitting beside him at the kitchen table, chuckled under his breath from time to time.

Out of nowhere Kushina suddenly appeared and softly laid her hand on Itachi's shoulder, almost like Minato had done. This just felt a little more comforting than the other time. 'Just let them talk this all through and eat something. Minato needs to be put in his place sometimes and not get involved in Deidara's life too much.' She walked away again, stirring in a pan that was still sitting on the stove.

It was all just hard to ignore when the fight was right in front of you, but you had no idea what they were saying to each other. It was like two people talking in a foreign language and you could only pick up a few words you knew, but they didn't make any sense as long as you didn't know the context. And the worst part is when they say your name and you know they are talking about you, but you have no idea what they are saying. Somewhere you do still need to know and you keep listening in. Some words you try to guess what they mean, because they stop by more often and at some point you do understand or at least you think you do.

'I'm sorry, I don't want to sound rude,' Itachi suddenly spoke up, getting the attention of everyone in the room. Naruto has a big smile on his face, liking where this was going even more. Little sadist. Kushina rolled her eyes and turned back to the stove. She had warned the boy. But the other two were just staring at him, daring Itachi to get involved. 'But I think it's good Minato checked on me like that, because you can't trust just anyone and I know Deidara wouldn't bring someone home that he didn't trust. But having someone care enough about you that they actually make sure, it means a lot to me. My parents wouldn't give a damn who I take home and if I get into trouble, we just move and forget about the whole thing. You should cherish these protective moments as long as they are there.'

The room stayed completely silent and even the smile had left Naruto's lips. This was the most personal thing Itachi had shared with them all, actually saying that his family doesn't care. How should someone respond to that when you don't even have an idea what it would be like. The only thing Deidara thought about doing was signing an apology to his father and then quickly making his way to his own chair at the kitchen table, sitting beside Itachi on his other side.

Deidara felt like doing more than just this, but even if he could speak, he wouldn't know what to say. Deidara always lived a protected life and always felt loved, but he started to understand that Itachi really had nothing of that all. It were just the little signals the raven let on sometimes. Even at those first moments they had seen each other where Itachi had told him he didn't deserve to be happy. It was only because Itachi wasn't happy and Itachi couldn't be with someone who was happy. Itachi had liked him from the very beginning, but just didn't admit it.

Slowly the blonde leaned towards Itachi and wrapped his arms around the raven's body, pulling him in a tight hug. He didn't have to say anything, because Itachi would understand. And as the raven buried his face in Deidara's long hair, sighing softly at the comforting feeling, Deidara knew he would make Itachi happy, even if it was the last thing he would do. And he also knew he wouldn't be alone in this mission.

Minato placed his hand on Itachi's back, Kushina put her arms around both boys and hugged them and Naruto squeezed himself between this all, getting between Deidara and Itachi and smiling up at them. Itachi wasn't alone anymore.

And as the raven was forced to pull away from Deidara and show off his teary eyes, he could still only smile. Deidara looked a bit worried, because he hadn't expected to see tears. Itachi was such a strong person. 'I'm not alone anymore, am I?' Itachi asked carefully and a knowing sweet smile spread on Deidara's face as he only shook his head in response.

With a big smile Itachi pulled Deidara towards him again, forcing Naruto to leave them, and kissed him. 'I love you so much, Dei. Thank you for everything,' he said aloud, making sure they all felt spoken to even if he only addressed Deidara. He had to thank them all for so much, but mostly for feeling loved.

The whole day would be spend together, as a real family and Itachi couldn't remember a time he had been happier than this.


	14. Forbidden

Today would be a strange day for Itachi. For the very first time his father had actually paid attention to his life and had found out he had a boyfriend. Every time Itachi had dated someone, he had been so careful to hide it from his family and well the outside world, but somehow he had forgotten it here. And apparently Naruto had talked about it at school, his little brother Sasuke had heard and blabbed to his parents. So when he came home on Saturday after he had spent the day with Deidara and his family, his father had actually been waiting for him. Asking about where he had been the whole night and what he was thinking dating a guy. It wasn't pleasant.

Now he was actually forbidden to see Deidara outside of school, because that was unavoidable. The problem was he hadn't been able to tell Deidara yet since his phone had been taken away. His father might be reading all the texts they had shared and it wasn't like something bad was in there, but sometimes they did share intimate words or things like that.

And of course he couldn't take his own car and pick Deidara up to explain everything. No, his father had his own driver, which he used to drive to work related things, take Itachi to school and pick him up as well. So there was no sneaking around, because he would need to be in that car five minutes after class would be over. This was going to be hell. Deidara might already be mad at him for not texting back all weekend.

The car stopped right in front of the front gates, gaining many stares off his school mates. This car was even better than the one he owned. He got out as soon as it stopped driving and just fled inside the school, hoping to run into Deidara before the first class started, but of course no such luck. And his first classes weren't together with the blonde, so he would have to wait till lunch. What would be going on in his boyfriend's mind right now? After the special moment they shared this must feel like a stab in the back. Like it hadn't meant anything.

And then classes went by so slow. It was as if time had stopped when he had history. Really a course he didn't care about. What did it matter what happened in the past? Stupid wars and whatever else happened. He groaned loudly when the teacher started writing more stuff on the board, making all the other students stare at him funny. Quickly he mumbled an apology and just kept his mouth shut the rest of the class, praying it would end soon and he could get to lunch. But of course when the bell rang, the teacher still needed to tell them all what the homework would be and when their next test would be. When he finally left the class lunch had started already.

It took him some time to move towards the cafeteria through all the people that flooded the hallways and when he got there, he could see his lovely blonde already sitting at their lunch table and Hidan as well. Who as soon as he noticed him, glared and actually got up out of his chair, seeming to be ready to punch the living daylights out of the raven.

So Itachi was now scared of Hidan, but he also really needed to talk to Deidara. Who now turned around as well to see where his friend was going and then got a sad expression on his face when he noticed Itachi, quickly turning back around. Of course the blonde thought the worst. It wasn't so surprising. After Itachi had opened up like that and then suddenly never responded to any of his messages, it must felt like he had made a run for it. It had never even crossed his mind to make a run for it.

Now it did though, because Hidan was getting really close and that glare directed at him definitely wasn't helping. But before he even realised he could turn around and melt into the crowded hallways, Hidan had grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up a little from the ground.

'And you think you can dump Deidara by just not talking to him anymore?' Hidan hissed angrily, actually spitting all over Itachi's face. Who frantically started shaking his head. 'Oh, so you deny the fact that you have ignored him this weekend?'

Getting a little angry now at all the accusations Itachi pushed himself out of Hidan's hold and rubbed his throat to get the sting of pain away. 'I haven't been ignoring him, Hidan. My father found out we were dating.' And that was all the information his friend needed. The odd purple coloured eyes widened and he could see the apology on the tip of Hidan's tongue, but he didn't have time for that. He needed to talk to Deidara. So he pushed passed Hidan and smoothly walked over to their lunch table, standing to the side looking down at the blonde.

Blue eyes went up for a moment and then quickly moved down again, sadness dripping off the blonde's face. Secretly Deidara was happy he couldn't speak now since he didn't have to fill the silence. Ignoring people was so much easier this way.

But Itachi wouldn't let Deidara avoid his eyes. He sat down beside him and grabbed his chin, forcing those beautiful eyes to look up at him. Even if it pained him to see the hurt, Itachi knew it didn't have to be there. 'Dei, listen to me. I've not been ignoring you,' he said carefully, using the softest tone possible. 'My father found out we are dating and has forbidden me to date you. He took away my phone, so there was no way I could've told you. I tried being here earlier, but my father even arranged a driver for me. I just…' He didn't know what else to add to that, but it didn't seem to be enough. So he leaned in and gave Deidara a soft kiss on the lips.

When he leaned back he could finally see some understanding in Deidara's eyes and as if embarrassed, which he probably was, the blonde leaned his head against the raven's shoulder and sighed softly. Automatically Itachi wrapped his arms around the blonde's smaller frame and held him close. Now he could peacefully explain the rest on what had happened.

In the meantime Hidan had joined them again, wanting to hear what exactly had happened as well.

'When I came home from your place on Saturday, my father had been waiting for me. He was actually in the hallway, sitting in a chair, reading the paper,' Itachi started out, hoping that would at least bring a smile to Deidara's face, but he couldn't see. 'Apparently Naruto told his friends about us dating and my little brother heard and told my parents. At that point the damage had been done and my father forbade me to ever date a male, so he wants me to stay away from you.' At the word Naruto he could feel Deidara's hands turn into fists in his lap, knowing the youngest blonde was in a lot of trouble once he got home. 'So he drives me to school and picks me up again and he took away my phone.' That was about what he needed to explain, so he stayed quiet and just held his boyfriend.

'So what are you going to do now?' Hidan spoke up and broke the silence. Deidara had just been happy that his actual boyfriend hadn't suddenly left him and Itachi had been enjoying the fact that everything was alright between them again. It wasn't like he was actually going to listen to his father. He had never done that before, so why start now?

A light shrug of the shoulder was Itachi's response as both boys pulled back from each other and just stared at Hidan. 'I'm not going to break up with Deidara, but I can't see him outside of school. As soon as my father learns that I am still seeing him, he will make us move.'

Shocked blue eyes turned to him and he frantically shook his head. He grabbed his little white board out of his backpack and wrote something on it. Can't leave was the only thing it said and he showed it to both Itachi and Hidan. Hidan just rolled his eyes, knowing this already.

'Okay, we get that Itachi can't leave, so no smooching outside, okay,' Hidan stated, giving them both a meaningful look. 'But we all don't want to see our favourite couple splitting up over something as stupid as a father that is against the relationship.' Of course Hidan could say something like that easily, but he wasn't the one going through it. 'What I suggest is that with whatever project we have together, Itachi and I team up. Then you can both hang out at my place and Itachi has an excuse to have his driver not go straight home.'

Even if Hidan was happy with this plan, there was something else to think about. 'What if my father says we could work at my place? Then we can't use that excuse,' Itachi said, raising an eyebrow at his friend.

Happy expression disappeared again and Hidan got lost in thought until he came up with something. 'I can't go to your place after school, because I need to take care of things at home, because my parents both work.' Deidara rolled his eyes and Itachi just shot Hidan a confused look. 'I know my parents don't care, but your father doesn't know that!' he added, wanting to give both a smack against the face.

That did work though… They could go with that excuse. At least they would get to see each other once in a while, but they didn't have that many projects. 'Okay, we can go with that at least. And maybe I can say I got into trouble and have to stay after school. We just need to stay here,' Itachi added. Now they have some opportunities more.

Deidara had been writing on his board again, apparently also thinking of something. He held it up for them both and it said "Dinner at Sasori's". Oh, Itachi had forgotten about that. Having dinner with a teacher was something good in his father's eyes, so maybe if they told Sasori about their problems, he would invite them over more often. It was worth a try.

'Good thinking, Blondie!' Hidan said, winking at Deidara who just shot him a disgusted look back. Oh, the friendship… 'And then the last thing I will do for you two is get Itachi a cheap ass phone which his father will know nothing about, so you two can keep on texting sweetly. But make sure no one finds out. Oh, and make sure you shut that brother of yours up, Dei. Can't have any more slip ups.'

It was funny how Hidan suddenly seemed to care so much. And as Deidara ferociously started writing away on his board, ranting about his little brother to their friend, Itachi thought on how much support they really had. Hidan really would do anything to keep them together and of course Itachi knew that it was because he wanted to see Deidara happy, not per se his raven friend. But still, having someone on your side is important.

And before the day was over, Hidan had handed him the new phone, having no explanation on how he got it and Itachi really didn't care anyway. Hidan had his ways and that was all Itachi cared about. And when Itachi laid in bed, he texted with Deidara all night, glad he still could talk to his boyfriend and actually keep the bit of happiness he had just gotten.


	15. Spend some time here

It was the end of the week again and they had gone through the days without Itachi's father knowing he and Deidara were still dating. So every plan Hidan made had worked so far. They had made up a homework assignment that needed to be done together and even fooled Fugaku that he had to go to Hidan's house a few days a week. They hadn't used it yet, still playing it as safe as possible, but they had made an appointment for Sunday, so they would be able to spend the whole day together, with Hidan tagging along…

But today they had something else planned. Sasori had invited them to have dinner with him and Nagato, changing the day from Wednesday to the Friday before. Apparently something new had come up, but the teens didn't really care. They had time and now they could explain their problem of not being able to see each other as much as they wanted to better.

Unfortunately they couldn't go there together, because Itachi's father would know if Deidara and he travelled together. So now Itachi was being driven there and Deidara was brought over by Hidan, which was quite nice of him. Itachi arrived first and waited for Deidara to come, seeing his driver disappear at the end of the street. At least they didn't have to worry about that anymore. And then Hidan's crappy red car turned the corner and Deidara immediately jumped out, shaking his head at something their friend had said.

Hidan had this weird fake smile on his lips and shot them a thumbs up. He thought it was for losers to hang out with teachers, so at this point they were losers as well, but he also saw the benefit in it that they were having dinner with the couple. They needed the time together and this was such a good solution.

No words were shared as they greeted each other, kind of just starting to kiss immediately. Every opportunity they had, they welcomed with open arms. Arms wrapped around the other, lips moving over each other and tongues swiping through their mouths. They kind of got lost in the moment and hadn't noticed the door behind them opening as they stood on the porch of the house. Only when someone cleared their throat they jumped apart and looked at the person in the door with wide eyes. Deidara turned a bright red, staring at Nagato as he had a friendly smile on his lips.

'Sorry to interrupt,' the redheaded male said, a soft blush on his cheeks, also a little embarrassed at what he had just walked in on. 'Sasori thought he had heard a car leave, so I came to check and indeed you had arrived. Do you want to come in now?'

This definitely could've gone better. Such a great impression they left now, making out right in front of the door, finding it more important than actually knocking on the door and enjoying the couple's hospitality. 'Yeah, sorry,' Itachi replied softly, lowering his head in some sort of humble form. It sometimes was really unfortunate that Deidara couldn't speak, because now he always had to say something and sometimes it was just too awkward, like now. 'We would love to come in now.' And as Nagato held the door further open, they carefully stepped in, both as quiet as possible as if they would screw up soon again.

'Are they here?' Sasori called from somewhere and Nagato immediately smiled, looking off to the room his husband should be in. It still surprised how happy families could seem. Deidara's family seemed so happy, but the way Nagato looked was just pure love. His parents never seemed this happy with each other. His mom was quite nice, but his father only cared about their reputation.

Nagato motioned for them to follow and walked towards a door, disappearing through it and a soft conversation started up behind it. Quickly Itachi and Deidara took off their coats and shoes, moving over to the door, hesitating a bit to open it and then softly pushing it open, glancing around the corner of it.

The room they entered was the kitchen and Sasori was standing by the stove, Nagato's arms draped over his shoulders and hugging him from behind. Quietly the teens stepped in further. Itachi glanced around, leaving the two males to an intimate moment of their own while Deidara kept staring at the loving couple, reaching for Itachi's hand and holding it tightly. He couldn't help but feel a pinch of jealousy, although he wasn't sure what for. It could be, because they had the opportunity to act like this around each other always while they had problems now. Or because he wasn't quite over his crush yet. Which was stupid, but he did really like Sasori before and it was difficult to get over such a thing, even with Itachi being this sweet and gorgeous and just perfect.

'Hey, guys. Food will be ready soon. Do you need something to drink?' Sasori called over his shoulder, making Nagato jump and apologise ferociously, embarrassed he hadn't asked already and had been to occupied with his husband. A soft chuckle left Sasori's lips at his behaviour, making Deidara smile as well. He had to admit that the two fitted together like this, but the sound of the redhead's laugh was also nice to hear.

Suspiciously Itachi eyed Deidara, but didn't say anything to him, just answering the question Sasori had asked. 'A coke is fine, thank you.' And swiftly Deidara looked at Nagato and nodded as well, meaning he wanted the same thing. He had been a bit too occupied with looking at Sasori. This was embarrassing really, but he had dreamed so many times he would be in Sasori's house, for other things of course, but let's not get into that.

Two cokes were handed to the teens and Nagato shot them a sweet smile. 'Let's go to the dining room and take place. Sasori will come with our meal soon.' And the redhead walked off before them, opening another door. Their house was quite big, making them wonder what kind of job Nagato had. It wasn't possible Sasori made this much money of his small job at a local high school.

The table had been neatly set, a chandelier with burning candles on it and some nice flowers to the side. They really had made a big deal out of this, even if they were only kids in their eyes. Deidara and Itachi took a seat next to each other, Nagato sitting opposite of the blonde. An awkward silence settled in, no one really knowing what to say. That was the problem with someone being shy, someone unable to talk and someone who just wasn't much of a talker. But this was really getting to Itachi… And he didn't really trust the reaction Deidara had had on Sasori before, so maybe it was smart to discuss their problem with Nagato first and get him to help them.

Taking a moment before asking, Itachi took a sip of his drink and before he even set it down, Nagato asked a question of his own. 'So how have you two been?' A standard question that doesn't really mean anything and obviously was to break the silence without having to say much himself. Smart. But now he also had given Itachi an opportunity to just tell him about their problem.

'Well, everything was going quite alright up until last Sunday,' he said, giving Nagato a sad smile and the blonde next to him averted his eyes to the table, a sad expression on his face as well. 'My father found out about our relationship and let's say he doesn't approve of it.'

Nagato's eyes widened in shock and then he reached for either of their hands across the table, giving them a light squeeze. 'I am so sorry about that, but I am sure your father will come around eventually and you are here together now as well, right?'

Both teens shook their head in response, even with Deidara not really knowing Itachi's father. 'My father isn't the easiest man,' Itachi started. 'He does everything to keep the Uchiha name up high and a gay son does not fit in there. These were his actual words when he lectured me about it. So he forbade me to never see Deidara again and he gave me a driver so that I would never just sneak off and I also can't just skip that and go see Deidara anyway, because my father will make us move again, blaming one of my screw ups for it yet another time.' It really angered Itachi to even say all this and think about how much he hated his father, but there was nothing he could do about it. He couldn't just move out or anything.

Nagato stayed quiet for a little, just staring at Itachi. He had never experienced something like that, but some families did think their company name was more important than their child's happiness. He had just never experienced it. He only read things like these in the tabloid about celebrities and such. And when the redhead was about to respond, the other redhead suddenly appeared, placing the food in front of them on the table and having a stern expression on his face.

'I heard everything,' he simply stated. 'And I believe no one should be kept apart as long as they love each other. So I will offer you our house when you need it.' Well that was quite a surprise. Somewhere they had thought the couple would be supportive and helpful, but this was really easy. 'Of course you will need an excuse, but since Itachi quite sucks at art, you can say I am tutoring you. Deidara can just come by himself a little later after Itachi has been dropped off.'

The teens nodded, both still completely in shock as they stared at the married couple, Nagato just looking up at his husband with a big smile, happy they could help this way. 'T-thank you,' Itachi stammered and Deidara just got up and walked around the table, giving Sasori a hug. Just for a moment though, not wanting to linger in it, and then walked back to his seat.

Immediately Itachi pulled Deidara towards him, wanting a hug as well, but more to celebrate and as Deidara wrapped his arms around Itachi, the raven kissed the blonde's forehead softly, smiling a little. 'We'll make it through this, I promise,' he whispered only for Deidara to hear.

'There will be some rules though. You'll not just hang out here and waste your time and mine, so you'll bring homework. I don't care for what class, as long as you got something to do. When you are finished you can just relax a little. You won't stay passed dinner time every time you are here, but there will be a few exceptions, because it is nice to have guests over. This will only occur two days a week maximum. And last but not least, I will have no sex other than Nagato and me together under this roof.'

Deidara and Itachi just stared at Sasori, finding it very impressive that all those words had left the redhead's lips so easily. And then the thought of Nagato and Sasori having sex filled their minds and a deep blush settled on both males cheeks, oh, don't forget Nagato's cheeks, giving Sasori a shove for that. The blonde buried his face in his hands, to embarrassed about this. He wasn't one to think about sex that much, but now that it was mentioned he could only picture those two together. He even started wondering who was… Oh god…

In response Sasori just raised an eyebrow at all the reactions, not really ashamed about all these things at all. 'Anyway, now that this is discussed, let's eat and enjoy the rest of the evening. I don't want to focus on the bad things happening, but I'd like to hear more about how happy you two are together.' Sasori sat down in the chair beside Nagato and started plating the pasta dish he had made, giving everyone a lot to eat, even if it would be way too much.

And with those last words spoken by Sasori the evening went on, forgetting about the drama and just happily spending time together. The ended the evening with a movie, cosily sitting together on the couch and Deidara forgot completely about crushing on Sasori again, snuggling up close to Itachi and eventually ending in a kiss, never wanting to leave that moment again.


	16. Painting feelings

Homework was so boring! Especially when you were finished already, but your boyfriend was still struggling on a math problem. This was what currently was happening to Itachi. He had finished everything about half an hour ago, but Deidara had been staring at the same problem for over fifteen minutes already, but rejected every move Itachi made to help him. He could be so damn stubborn! And now Itachi was bored, because he was so not in the mood for art right now and since Sasori wasn't around, he was off the hook. And the rest was finished, but doing something in your teacher's house while he wasn't around was way too weird.

Too bad the guy moved through the house so silent he could be a ninja. 'Why aren't you working?' Sasori suddenly spoke up right behind Itachi, making the teen jump up and turn around in shock. The guy had been out doing some grocery shopping. How the hell did he suddenly appear here? Why hadn't they heard him coming in?

And then Deidara decided to mix in as well, scribbling something on a piece of paper and holding it up for Sasori to read without even glancing up from his work. Not doing art. That little… Why couldn't the blonde just not say anything and hurry up with the damn homework, so they could actually spend some fun time together? Now Sasori was actually going to tutor him on all this art stuff that really didn't Itachi interest at all. It was difficult enough to understand Deidara's point of view, but then with Sasori's opposite view it all got messed up in Itachi's head and at some point he didn't know what actually looked good anymore.

'Come with me, Itachi,' Sasori spoke plainly and reluctantly the raven got out of his chair, shooting a glare at his boyfriend, who only smirked back. That little bastard…

Sasori was already walking on ahead and Itachi had to do his best to keep up, which he didn't really do. He just followed after and looked around the house, noticing many happy photographs he shared with Nagato. Some seemed from years ago when they only had been teens. The redheads must know each other for a long time already.

'Hurry up, Uchiha. I don't have all day and we do still need to work on your art skills. You do realise I don't grade on how well you can draw, but more on how well you understand the assignment? You don't put any effort in the works you need to do by yourself.' Well that was kind of harsh and completely true. Sasori really was a good teacher then if he even noticed that, but the tutoring really was awful.

They stepped into a room that seemed a lot more messy than the rest of the house. There was wood everywhere, sculpted into weird shapes. And then paint littered all over the floor, dirty brushes laying carelessly around. This appeared to be the art room or something like that. There was only one clean spot, a chair in the middle of it. Probably where people posed for Sasori since a lot of the paintings that were done were of Nagato. Someone who frequently posed apparently.

Sasori grabbed a clean canvas and placed it on set it ready for Itachi, several colours of paint now on an easel. He handed it to Itachi and then came back with several clean brushes. 'Now we will start with your first assignment and this will be about expressing yourself. Not everyone is as good at saying what they feel or speak out loud what they have been thinking about for a long time. Some of us express it by simply putting it on paper. So I want you to close your eyes and the first colour that comes to you, you will pick from the pallet and you will paint something with it.'

Well, that was a weird assignment, but Itachi listened nonetheless and closed his eyes. The first thing he always saw were Deidara's happy eyes and how the colour always showed off in what kind of mood the blonde was. The one he liked the most was the soft blue, signalling it was early in the morning and it was time to enjoy another day. So that was the colour he picked, mixing blue with a bit of white and then painting half of the canvas with it.

'I believe that was fairly easy for you,' Sasori spoke up, suddenly standing right behind Itachi again. Damn, that man was silent! 'I think you even know already what you're going to paint, so continue.' And with that Itachi just painted the image he had in mind now, picking out colour after colour and when he thought it was finished it looked quite alright. He still couldn't paint for shit, but at least it looked like something. 'That looks good,' the redhead spoke up from beside Itachi now, having painted his own image. 'Now try to explain to me what you painted. Tell the story.'

How the hell was he supposed to do that? He just painted the image that was in his head! 'What kind of story do I need to tell? It's just an image, right?'

Some muscles in Sasori's face tightened displeased, his lips turning into a thin angry line. 'It is not just an image, Uchiha. There are even two people in your painting. Who are those people? Why are they out on what seems like either an early morning or an early evening?'

'Well, they are a couple and uh, they are very close to each other after having spent the entire night together. It's early in the morning and they are on their way home, still very reluctant of parting, but they'll have to eventually.' It was something he had just come up with in the moment, but it seemed to fit. Hopefully that would be enough of a story for Sasori, because he really didn't know what else to add.

The redhead came up to him again and together they stared at the painting a little longer. 'I'm going to tell you know what I see,' he started and then lifted his finger, pointing out some parts with it. 'Here in the right upper corner you painted the upcoming sun while in the bottom left you make it more dark, showing off it had just been night in this case. The couple is in the middle of it, neither moving towards it nor moving away from either of it. What I think you show is that one of the two is the dark part, the depressing part, while the other is the sun, the light part. They are indeed very close to each other, but what if it really is just one person? I think you painted a person that is conflicted between being happy and being sad and therefore just continues on walking straight ahead, seeing what will come closer eventually.'

In response Itachi immediately shook his head. 'No, it's not just one person,' he denied immediately. 'It's definitely a couple. It's about the sun, the light part bringing out the best from the depressing and dark part, pulling him out of it and walking further on together. I think together they find some kind of middle point where they will be happy, getting the best out of the other.'

A pleased smile formed on Sasori's lips as he walked away again. 'And you thought you didn't have any talent. Maybe you are a little rough around the edges, but you can tell a story. Just keep on practising. I'm sure Deidara will love to help you. Nice way of showing off how much you love him, by the way.' Insert a big blush on Itachi's cheeks. He hadn't even thought about that! How come Sasori saw through it so easily?

Now all Itachi wanted to do was get out of that room and hopefully spend some time with his boyfriend and not with the painting that apparently showed just how much he loved the blonde. God, it was just embarrassing in front of your teacher and Itachi wasn't that good in showing his love.

A hand was placed on his shoulder, making Itachi turn towards Sasori, who weirdly enough was shorter than him. 'Don't feel embarrassed about me noticing. It is my job to notice these kinds of things and of course I already know how you feel about Deidara. It's easier to spot then. And we all tend to paint things we love.' He was then led towards Sasori's painting he had been working on and all he saw was different shades of red. 'You might not see anything, but I see all the different shades of red that is in Nagato's hair. In everything I paint and everything I make out of wood, I see bits of Nagato. They sometimes call it a muse, I just call it love.'

'Thank you,' Itachi said softly, quite unsure of why he had said it, but Sasori's words did make him feel better somehow and with a nod and a slight smile Sasori dismissed Itachi, cleaning up the raven's mess and continuing on his own painting, delicately letting paintbrush after brush slide over the thick paper.

Closing the door behind him lightly, Itachi left the room, sighing softly again. He was happy that was over, but his heart was still racing, thoughts all focused on his beloved boyfriend. Somehow painting that scene had made him think even more of Deidara and all he wanted now was spend time with him. And it seemed someone else had the same plan as well.

Deidara was waiting right at the end of the hallway in front of the door that lead towards the living room, smile on his lips that meant nothing good, or in this case, a lot of good. That didn't make sense, but Itachi didn't care at this point. Smoothly he made his way over to the blonde, wrapping an arm around Deidara's waist as he pulled the blonde into the room and towards the couch. He made Deidara sit down as he put a movie in the DVD-player. He didn't even have a clue what movie they would be watching, not caring much.

As Itachi sat down beside Deidara, the blonde immediately crawled into Itachi's lap and wrapped his arms around the raven's neck, pulling him as close as possible. And as the movie started playing, lips found each other and easily moulded against the other's. After going so long without a good and long kiss, it was nice to finally feel those lips again and just enjoy each other's presence. Of course it was nice to spend time with Nagato and Sasori, but they barely had time alone.

The movie really was not important at all, but this was a way they could let the redheads know they were busy with watching a movie. They were still teenagers and they hadn't been together for long. The feeling of kissing and being able to touch each other a little was just very prominent.

After same time shirts were off, hands wondering over the naked skin of the other as soft sounds mostly left Itachi's lips as they kept on kissing each other, tongues massaging the other. It still felt strange to be the most vocal one, but Itachi would get over it and the way Deidara's body sometimes shivered under his touch was enough for Itachi to know that his boyfriend was enjoying it.

A soft knock on the door made them pull apart suddenly, a bit frightened that someone would come in. It wouldn't be good if they saw them both without shirts on. They didn't go any further than that, but still. It would seem like they would. 'Dinner is almost ready, so break apart and get your asses moving to the dinner table.' And that was exactly what the teens did. Scrambling away from each other and quickly putting their shirts back on as they walked towards the door, trying to look as casual as possible. Although Deidara's blush was enough of a clue for the two redheads.

Before Deidara could grab the door handle, Itachi wrapped an arm around his chest and pulled him against his back against his chest. 'I love you,' he whispered, before letting go again, walking away towards the dinner table as Deidara had a goofy smile on his lips with still a big blush adorning his cheeks, happy with everything that Itachi had brought into his life. It would all be worth it.


	17. Overprotective

A few weeks had passed already and their lives together seemed to be moving along just fine. Of course it was still difficult to not be able to see each other as much as they wanted, but the time they did spend together was great. Of course they had there awkward moments with Hidan and Sasori and Nagato, but they got over it and were actually quite used to the company of others around. They still had their share of intimate moments, exchanging enough kisses.

So of course it was quite a surprise when Itachi was leaving school to get to his ride when someone else was waiting right beside the car. His chauffeur was eyeing the man a little confused and annoyed, but the blonde himself was smiling happily when his blue eyes fell on the raven.

'Itachi! Long-time no see!' Minato exclaimed, suddenly looking a lot like his youngest son. The man stepped forward and shook Itachi's hand, grasping it tightly with the other as if to prevent the raven from running away or something. Fearing that his chauffeur was already calling his father, Itachi glanced around Minato, but saw his driver just glaring at him. He motioned for the man to wait for him in the car, not wanting him to hear whatever Minato wanted to discuss with him. 'I was wondering why you never stopped by anymore. It seems like you are spending a lot of time at your house?' Was that a threatening tone lingering in the man's voice?

But this also meant that Minato had no idea of what was going on. He thought Deidara would've told his parents by now. A confused look crossed his face as he looked up at the blonde. 'No, we have not been spending time at my house, sir. Didn't Deidara tell you what was going on?' he asked carefully, not wanting to anger the man or something. It was still his boyfriend's father after all.

'I guess he didn't.' And with that said Minato turned his head to the side, glancing at his own parked car where Deidara was sitting with a very guilty expression on his face. 'So better start talking, because I need to know. I thought something entirely else was happening, but I'm assuming you have not been luring my son to your place just to have sexual relations with him?'

Oh god, was that what Minato was thinking? Of course Itachi wouldn't do that and like hell that Deidara would even let him. That blonde was very feisty and would hit him if he even offered. 'N-no!' he called out. 'I would never do that, sir. We have been spending time together at a friend's house and even at a teacher's house, because my father found out about our relationship. Let's say that me seeing you right now might get me in a lot of trouble.'

Now it was Minato's turn to look confused and then quickly a look of understanding moved over his face and he sighed softly. 'Well, I understand now why Deidara hasn't told us anything about this. Kushina sometimes gets a little overprotective and might've called your father without thinking if she had found out. So I'm guessing that your father does not agree with your relationship and has something against homosexuals?'

Kushina overprotective? And this didn't count as overprotective? Cornering your son's boyfriend just to hear him out on their relationship, mostly sexual… Itachi shrugged that bit off and then nodded slightly. 'My father would never show that he dislikes homosexuals though,' he said softly. 'That would be bad for the reputation, but I have been the cause of many moves already and this would be another reason for that. A gay son is not good for the Uchiha image apparently.'

And then a soft hand landed on top of Itachi's head, ruffling through his block locks and pulling several strands out of its usual ponytail. 'I'm sorry to hear that. So it seems you also can't hang out at our place, because you're being driven around, huh?' The blonde clacked his tongue, looking off to the side, thinking about a solution for this problem.

'I don't think my father would appreciate that, no. And I don't want to cause any problems with your family either. Of course there is also the fact that my father would make us move if I did pursue this relationship and frankly I don't want to be away from Deidara. So we are together in secret. I even have a phone where my father knows nothing off.'

Without another word Minato turned around, facing away from Itachi, but looking right at his car. Leaning down and tapping on the window with a happy smile on his lips, he got the chauffeur's attention. As the window rolled down, Minato started speaking. 'Sorry, good sir. I am one of Itachi's teachers and it seems that we need to discuss some things for his project. I will need some more of his time, so if you do not mind, I'll bring him home when we are done. I am very sorry, but this is a very important assignment,' he lied right on the spot. What the hell? Was his driver even going to believe that?

With a grumble and a nod the chauffeur rolled the window back up and drove off, not even glancing back. The man didn't even ask any questions! Minato had been believable enough. 'Thank you,' Itachi whispered out, still glancing after the retreating back of the car. And then his hand was grabbed and he was pulled towards the car where Deidara still was sitting in. The blonde looked confused and excited at the same time, bouncing up and down in his seat.

Quickly signing "is Itachi coming as well?" Deidara looked up at his father and the smile Minato shot him was enough of an answer. The blonde jumped out of the car and flung his arms around Itachi's neck, pulling him into a kiss.

'Come on, kids. Get in the car. We still have a lot of explaining to do to your mother. She was about to go over to Itachi's house and murder your boyfriend, so don't get all too happy. You should've told us Deidara.' And immediately the blonde looked guilty, his arms sliding down from Itachi's neck to hang loose beside his sides. Yeah, Deidara should've said something, because not only would've Kushina murdered him, his father would've gladly helped the red-haired female.

The drive back was filled with complete silence. Deidara was snuggled up close to Itachi on the back seat, just lingering in the comfort of feeling each other this close and knowing they could spend time at the blonde's home again. Itachi really loved that house, so this was an amazing turn of events really. Of course the reason why Minato had come to talk to him wasn't the best, but what came out of it was.

As if it was the most normal thing to do, at home Minato just casually walked to the kitchen, expecting the two teens to follow him. Of course Deidara did immediately, being used to see everyone there first. But Itachi hesitated. It had been weeks since he last had been there and with what he just heard about Kushina didn't make him feel more comfortable. Slowly he followed after, opening the door carefully and glancing around the corner of the door. Immediately the redheaded woman glared at him and Itachi was about to make a run for it when Minato wrapped an arm around the female's waist.

'Just wait a second, sweetheart. Apparently it has all been a misunderstanding and our son didn't inform us on everything that has happened the last couple of weeks. Itachi didn't do anything to our son and I am pretty sure he never will, so why not listen to his story first.' Kushina started to calm down in the strong hold of her husband and sighed softly in defeat, kind of curious what this all was about anyway. She let out a fine and waved it off, turning back towards the stove where she was already preparing dinner.

A bit unsure Itachi stepped further into the kitchen, glancing around the room and noticing Naruto was also here, having raised an eyebrow at him. 'I thought you two had broken up since Itachi was never here anymore,' he said, gaining a rough elbow to the ribs from Deidara in response. Quite the punishment.

'I can assure you we have not broken up,' Itachi said, a slight smile on his face as he black eyes fell on his boyfriend. 'But something else did happen.' And after that he explained everything that had happened the last couple of weeks. Everything to what his father had said up until the phone Hidan had arranged for them. Minato and Kushina seemed a little surprised at the help from a teacher, but eventually understood where he was coming from as well.

They had listened in silence, but Itachi had noticed how Kushina had been stirring a little faster in her pan and her hair seemed to be sticking out much like an angry cat's fur would do. She was not happy, that's for sure.

'So your father forbade you from seeing my lovely son without even taking the time to get to know him?' she asked, turning around with a dark expression on her face. 'Well, then it is up to his mother to make sure your father understands just what he is doing to my baby!' And then she reached for the phone which hung on the wall. But before she could even dial a number, Minato was pulling her away from the phone, needing all of his strength to even move the struggling female. Kushina was strong when she was mad…

'Kushina, just think about it for a second!' Minato tried to reason with his wife, his voice a bit restrained due to the effort he needed to keep his wife calm. 'If you call his father now while you are this mad, you will ruin every change these two have of having a relationship.' And after that comment Kushina started to relax again, really thinking through about what kind of consequences her actions would have if she pursued them.

She turned around in her husband's arms after releasing the phone and just sighed softly. 'So what do we do then? If Itachi can't even come to our house and Deidara definitely can't go to Itachi's place, they will be stuck hanging out with that weird friend of theirs or with their teachers. That can't be a healthy relationship.' They glanced at the couple that were now giving Naruto disgusting looks as the smallest blonde was playing with his bowl of ramen, hands reaching beneath the table to just have a bit of a hold of the other.

'We have to just deal with it for now, Kushina. We'll think of something we can do. Maybe if we befriend the Uchihas, the father might loosen up a little. But before that happens, Itachi and Deidara will have to hang out at the places they have. Itachi has a chauffeur that drives him everywhere, so we can't really get him out of things easily.' Both sighing softly they leaned their foreheads together, looking up into each other's eyes. This really was an awful situation the teens were in. How can a father forbid their son in seeing the person they love the most? But even they noticed how much happier Itachi looked in the few times they had seen him. His home really must be awful.

Kushina glanced down again, smiling when she noticed how happy her own son looked as he stared at the raven, wiping a strand of hair out of Itachi's eyes. 'We'll help them, Minato. We'll make sure those kids will have a happy life together, because something tells me that this is for real. That this is forever.'


	18. Uninvited

It was so boring at home! His father thought he had spent enough time out of the house on his schoolwork, which was quite the miracle, and made him stay at home and spend time with the family. Which was nowhere to be found. Sasuke was up in his room doing god knows what. Probably ignoring his phone and reading a book or something. Sometimes Itachi thought it would be good for the little raven to do something outside, but he would be harassed by many girls there. How crazy can twelve year olds really be? But Sasuke had fangirls and he hated it. The kid was quite the loner anyway, much like his big brother.

But of course there were still his mother and father who could hang around him now that he was forced to stay home, but yeah, they weren't anywhere in sight either. His father was, of course, working, yapping away on the phone, obviously disagreeing with something. Or at least that was the case last time Itachi had checked the study.

He actually had no idea where his mother was. Sometimes he just found his mother staring out the window with this weird content smile on her lips. It creeped him out, like a lot. And when he would then proceed to pull her out of her thoughts she seemed overly cheerful, appearing almost fake. It made Itachi wonder if she truly was happy or dreamed of a different life. Although he had heard many times how he was making his mother miserable, so maybe this was his fault. His father would definitely agree. But the woman had actually never spoken up to him, angry at him for something he did. Never would she raise her voice or punish her children. That was their father's job.

So here Itachi was, sitting in the living room on his own, cramped up on the uncomfortable, but gorgeous couch. A weird design thing his mother had bought, because it would look amazing here or something? Itachi just didn't care much.

Flipping through channels seemed quite futile, this time of day only children shows or commercials on. Oh, buy this, because it is excellent for stuff you never do anyway! Eventually it was better to just switch it off and sigh in misery. Of course Itachi was also in a bad mood, because Deidara hadn't been texting him back all day… It would have been the only thing that would've entertained him at this point, but apparently Deidara was busy. Making Itachi wonder with what? Normally Deidara said what he would be doing or why he would be unable to talk. But now he was kind of just left there, bored out of his mind and feeling rather lonely.

After Itachi had finally settled down with a book his phone finally vibrated, signalling he had received a message. Quickly opening it, his eyes widened in surprise. What was that supposed to mean?

"I am so sorry…" And that was it. Seriously, sorry for what?

While he typed something back and was about to press send, the doorbell rang. Quite surprised he just stared at the door that led to the hallway, phone still in his hand. In the time that he had figured out he should answer that, his mother had already appeared out of nowhere and had opened the door. He could hear the familiar greetings, but didn't recognise the voices straight away, the sound maybe too muffled by the wood. But they weren't expecting anyone, right? This was supposed to be a bonding day with his family, who weren't even around.

And then the door opened, letting in several people who he definitely knew. His eyes widened and a bit frightened his dark orbs found his mothers, smiling sweetly back at him while her mouth twitched a little. Nerves…

'I believe you all know my son already. I will go get my husband now.' And with that mother disappeared, closing the door behind her and hurrying away towards the study where father must be still.

Itachi was then left with staring back in three pairs of very bright blue eyes and one set of darker ones. What the hell were the Uzumakis doing here? Didn't they know this could jeopardise his chance of ever seeing Deidara? His boyfriend was looking rather uncomfortable and shot him an apologetic look, fumbling nervously with the hem of his shirt. Why did his parents force them all to come here? Even Naruto had been forced to tag along and he just looked bored out of his mind.

'Sorry for butting in like this, Itachi,' Minato spoke friendly, walking in further and taking a seat in one of the chairs, making the rest of the family feel more at ease as well. 'But we felt the need to talk to your family and see what their problem is with this relationship. Of course this is also a tactic to convince your father since he sees Deidara now and can't say no to our faces.'

Oh, he can say no and he will if he has to. In the meantime Deidara sat down next to him, inching probably too close for his father's liking, but he didn't want to object. The blonde already didn't look very comfortable and that would only make it worse. Naruto chose the biggest chair and lounged lazily in it, groaning in annoyance. Sometimes he really was just a little brat, but Sasuke definitely could act like that as well.

As the whole family seemed to be relaxing a little, the door opened and father strode in, his dark eyes moving from person to person until they settled on Deidara and how close he was sitting to his son. Eyes narrowed and Deidara started fidgeting even more. Now would've been a good time to have a voice. To stand up for yourself, but it was just more difficult and ignoring this was almost impossible. Fugaku would make sure that everyone noticed him.

A stoic expression on his face Fugaku turned towards Minato, blinking once before even speaking up. 'Welcome to our home,' he started. 'I don't believe I have invited you, so would you state your presence.' That was definitely not a request and Itachi could hear the threat lingering in the voice and seeing Minato's smile disappear, he had as well.

And then the door slammed open again, almost hitting mother in the back who had kept behind her husband out of fear something might happen. Everyone turned towards the figure that had just entered and Sasuke just looked around a little confused before walking over to his chair, standing right in front of the smallest blonde.

'You are in my chair,' he stated, hands posed on his hips as he cocked his head a little to the side in an arrogant fashion.

Naruto quirked an eyebrow, an amused smile on his lips. 'Well, it is kind of a great chair. Thanks for letting me sit in it,' was the playful answer.

Sighing softly Sasuke closed his eyes, twitching a little. He was annoyed and Itachi actually liked the way Naruto got on his brother's nerves so easily. Usually the raven was a pain in the ass to him, but now he had found someone like that of his own. 'I want to sit in it, loser. Get up.'

But Naruto didn't move the slightest, just staring up at Sasuke with a cocky grin. Naruto opened his mouth to respond, but was beaten by father. 'Sit down, Sasuke. We are talking to our guests now and you are misbehaving. Act like a gentleman and sit beside your brother.' Good tactic… Now Deidara would be forced to scoot over since Itachi was sitting in the corner.

Shuffling towards the couch defeated, Sasuke looked down at the space that was between Itachi and Deidara, finding it insufficient for his little ass. 'But someone is already sitting there,' he whined like a real child. Yes, even the great and wanted Sasuke could act like the baby he still was. Outside of the house he was a tough guy, but inside the house he was just a little spoiled brat.

'Just sit down next to your brother, Sasuke,' Fugaku gritted out, making Deidara jump a little and shift away before Itachi reached out and grabbed the blonde's wrist, keeping him right where he was. His boyfriend would not be scared away like that.

Looking up into those dark orbs, Itachi nodded next to Deidara. 'Go sit beside him then, little brother. You can make these decisions for yourself.' A sneer at his father, but only the man knew that, glaring at his oldest son now.

Silence settled between them again and then eyes moved over to Minato, remembering they were supposed to receive an answer from him. A light smile turned back on the blonde's face, shooting an affectionate look at the forbidden couple. Turning back to the very angry looking man now, Minato started his explanation.

'We are here, as a family, because I felt like Itachi's family should meet my son. And we are here to support him and be here for him. I heard you have forbidden your son from seeing mine and I think you can't make that decision without meeting my son first. I am personally also here to show that I support their relationship and since Deidara can't voice his own thoughts, I will be his interpreter of the day.' Then it fell silent again and Itachi could see his father fuming over this. If there was something they didn't talk about with others it was his son being gay.

And then one of the more innocent ones spoke up again. 'Brother, since when are you gay and why didn't you tell me that this guy is your boyfriend,' Sasuke said, shooting a thumb up at Deidara who looked a little offended at the 'this guy' part.

Should he answer this question? Was that even safe? His father's face definitely said shut the hell up, but Deidara started signing stuff at his raven boyfriend, hoping it would be easy enough for him to understand.

But as Itachi was still trying to figure it all out, Naruto let out a laugh and gave his response. 'I don't think you should tell them you've been gay ever since you laid eyes on my brother, Itachi. He might think it's a good idea, but I don't think they will see the romance in that,' he laughed out, shaking his head in amusement.

Angrily Deidara glared at Naruto, signing something that should not be repeated in words. But Kushina did say something about it. 'Deidara! Apologise for saying such things and Naruto, understand when it is your time to speak and when it is not. We do not need your comments on this subject.'

Huffing annoyed Naruto turned away from the group, still bored out of his mind and then Minato decided on something else, before Fugaku could respond to what he had just said or what Deidara had just said. 'I think it is time that we speak in private, so why don't we let our sons hang out somewhere together and give us some privacy. I am sure we can discuss things far easier when they are all gone.'

This unsettling vibe started lingering through the air as the two men stared at each other. 'I do not want our sons to be alone together,' he simply stated, of course only meaning Deidara and Itachi, because it seems the two smaller versions definitely didn't want to hang out together. Strange how this rivalry had started without them really knowing one another.

Minato shifted a little in his seat, sitting at the edge of the chair as he folded his hands together, a stern expression on his face. 'I will speak to you in private and since both our sons are here, they will not stay away from each other if we send them away somewhere to leave us alone,' he explained simply. 'Now, Itachi, Deidara, Naruto and Sasuke, go to your rooms and come down when we ask you to.' When no one moved, afraid of what Fugaku would say about this, Minato shot an angry look their way. 'Now!'

And off they all were, scrambling to their feet and disappearing out of the living room. Itachi knew exactly where to take Deidara and quickly moved up the stairs, really needing to talk to his boyfriend about what the hell just happened.

This left Sasuke to hang out with Naruto, because the blonde was not going to be left alone. Unfortunately Itachi's door was locked before they could either get there and then a long day started where they were forced to spend time together…


	19. Agreement

Piercing black eyes had been glaring at Deidara for over a minute now, making the blonde feel very uncomfortable and fidget under the stare. They were sitting on Itachi's bed, being send up by Minato since he wanted to have a talk with the Uchiha family or at least the parents. But now Deidara had some explaining to do, because Itachi had not expected the sudden visit and definitely wasn't ready for a confrontation.

'Explain to me why your parents are sitting downstairs lecturing mine,' he said stoically, surprising the blonde with the sudden noise. First Deidara just stared wide-eyed at the raven, unsure on how to even explain. And then his hands shot up and as if he needed to tell this in record time, started signing the whole story. During the signing Itachi's eyes had turned more confused by the minute, trying to follow the quick hand movements as best as he could. Of course it was futile. He didn't know that many signs yet and definitely couldn't understand when it was going so fast. 'Okay, stop,' he then spoke up, making Deidara halt immediately, thinking he had done something wrong. 'Go write it down, because I have no idea what you have just been telling me.'

Blue eyes rolled at the comment and then started looking for a notebook he could write in. This room was way too damn neat. How could Itachi seriously live here? It needs a little chaos! Although having the blonde there was already quite the chaos for Itachi. Especially when he just started rummaging through random drawers, uncaring on how everything had been placed in it. This would take a lot of work to get back in order. Itachi's eyebrow twitched in response.

Coming back towards the bed and lounging lazily on it, Deidara started writing in a notebook he had found right on top of Itachi's desk, where it had been lying the whole time, which the blonde obviously hadn't seen. Or maybe he had just made a mess on purpose. Could be revenge for the glaring he had done before. But it was not the blonde's ass on the line. Itachi might move again just because of this dumb action his family had pulled. Didn't they understand what Uchihas were like?

Notebook shoved in his face, Itachi started reading, getting more annoyed by the minute. So this had just been a whim. Kushina and Minato thought this would work, because no one can resist their son's gorgeous face and sweet appearance. As if his father would buy into that! He would definitely have Itachi's head now and blame him for everything.

Seeing Itachi's face turn sadder with every line he read, Deidara quickly took the book back and added a bit. Giving it back, a bit nicer this time, Itachi read the last line, a shock running through his body.

"They're doing this because they care, Itachi. Because they care about you."

That was just something the raven couldn't believe. Why would they even care about him? Of course he had been Deidara's boyfriend, but it was he who benefited of it, not the blonde. It was Itachi who had gotten happier and felt better and actually enjoyed life again. Deidara always had been this bright person, making everyone feel happy and letting smiles appear out of nowhere.

The blonde was just special. Even without a voice he was the happiest person he had ever seen and he made the best out of everything. Throwing the notebook to the side, uncaring where it even landed, Itachi reached forward. Entangling his fingers in those long blond locks he pulled Deidara forward, lips locking into a soft kiss. Automatically the blonde responded, wrapping his arms around Itachi's neck and already letting his tongue slide over the raven's bottom lip. They had never kissed in Itachi's house before and definitely not in the raven's room, so this was quite exciting. It felt kind of forbidden…

And then they were roughly pulled out of their thoughts, a voice screaming up the stairs for all of them to come down again. Must've been a short conversation then? Oh, never mind. An hour had passed already. It was so easy to get lost in kissing Deidara.

Calling down that they would come down, Itachi scrambled off the bed, smoothing out his clothes that had gotten messed up as tanned fingers had slipped under his shirt. With a teasing smile Deidara slid off as well and then wrapped his arms around Itachi's waist, leaning up for another kiss. Naughty little blonde… Not that Itachi could resist and that was probably the worst part. Collecting himself the raven quickly pulled back and made sure there was some distance between their bodies. Annoying alluring boyfriend. And Minato thought that he was using his son. It definitely was the other way around.

'Come on. Let's go get the two mini versions,' he spoke, taking the blonde's hand in his and pulling him along. Getting out of his room, a lot of noise suddenly hit them. And it was coming out of a certain little raven's room. Of course the little brat was playing videogames. Opening the door without knocking they were met with a funny sight. The two mini versions were sitting on the floor in front of the big flat screen TV Sasuke had gotten for Christmas and were playing let's kill as many zombies as possible game. And apparently they were counting who got more, because sometimes random numbers were shouted that obviously meant they were both cheating and then there was some pushing involved when the other had caught on the lie. Such little brats they were.

Itachi walked up to the console and just turned it off, not even giving the boys an opportunity to safe their game, because he just didn't care. He was met with whines and screams and then also a pillow thrown his way. Seriously, they needed to be taught a lesson… But maybe this was mean enough.

'We were called downstairs and if you don't want father's wrath, you better go downstairs right now.' Naruto just looked confused, having no idea what Fugaku's wrath was, but Sasuke was off the floor and by the door already, ready to take a spring downstairs.

Turning around to look at Naruto who was still sitting on the floor, very confused about what was happening, Sasuke started flailing his arms around. 'We have got to go downstairs right now, because if we don't, we will both be dead.' And with that he had disappeared. But now finally the smaller blonde had gotten the point and was running towards the door as well, calling out a Sasuke, wait for me, before disappearing out of sight.

"Little too much?" Deidara signed with a smirk on his lips. And Itachi just shrugged his shoulders in response. It was just fun to do stuff like this to his little brother from time to time, so he took every opportunity he had to tease him a little. Needed to do something around this house to make it fun.

Making their way downstairs as well, not running down the stairs as the brats had done, Deidara and Itachi had moved towards the living room again. The mood was weird when the opened the door. Obviously there was an angry vibe, but also some form of defeat. It just wasn't clear who felt defeated yet. Sitting down on the spots they previously had taken, black and blue eyes moved through the room, trying to get wiser about the situation in front of them, but none were speaking. Even Sasuke was sitting on the floor next to Naruto as if afraid to be slapped at any moment.

They all kept silent, wanting one of the adults to speak up first. But it stayed quiet for so long. Were they doing this to torture them and make this feel like some sort of talent show where they always waited for the answer until you were about to faint. Deidara looked awfully pale next to him, looking at Fugaku's back as if a monster would appear as soon as the man turned around. Yes, his father wasn't one of the nicest guys.

Finally the silence was broken by Minato, standing up out of the chair he had been sitting in all this time. He still looked very calm, but the usually smile was not on his lips. 'I think it will be best if the Uzumaki family goes home to discuss matters further and then Itachi can hear the decision we've made from his own parents. I wish you all a good day and we'll keep in touch.' Was that a threat lingering in Minato's voice? Even his father seemed to fidget at the last part, gritting his teeth in annoyance.

Without another word all the blonde's left the house and of course the redheaded woman. Deidara shot his lover one last worried look before disappearing out the door. Now that the house was a lot emptier and it had gotten silent again, Itachi really started to feel uncomfortable. What was going to happen and what had they agreed on? Obviously something had been decided and then there was also the comment Minato had made. We'll keep in touch. That at least meant he would be able to see the Uzumakis still.

Fugaku took a seat across from Itachi, sighing softly and tiredly rubbing a hand over his face. Suddenly he looked very old. Mother was seated in a chair and seemed really calm again, even smiling lightly as she flipped through a magazine. It still felt like something was wrong with that woman, but what was the question. His father was the one to say something about it or even do something about it. Sasuke was still sitting on the floor, out of the corner of his eyes glancing over at us and not missing anything what was going on.

'So as you understand sir Uzumaki and I have agreed on something and we feel like it benefits us both.' That was suspicious. Why would it benefit them both? It was not about them. It was about Itachi and Deidara… 'I will allow you to see Deidara more often, but your studies should not suffer under it. And in exchange…' Exchange? What could that man possibly want out of this? 'You will behave like you ought to and take over the company after you went to college. If you agree to these terms, then you are allowed to still see Deidara, in discretion of course. I don't want to see this in papers one day.'

Take over the company? That was his biggest nightmare. Itachi had done everything to fight against the Uchiha name. He didn't want to work for the company. His rebellious behaviour would now all have been for nothing. Could he really just accept this and do it? Of course he was smart enough, but he wouldn't be happy being on the top of the company.

But he also wouldn't be happy if Deidara wasn't by his side. He needed the blonde more than anything. He needed to make a decision now. His father's piercing gaze was pressuring him into making a quick decision. In the end either one of them would be good for his father. He would behave as asked or he would not be gay anymore. What should he do?

Later in the evening Deidara finally received a text back, having waited for it ever since he had left the Uchiha house. He had been informed about it being Itachi's decision, but not about the consequences. Not what it would all mean for the raven, but he was still afraid. Afraid that the text would say that they weren't together anymore. That Itachi had chosen to break it all off. So he was glad when the message said something else.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Dei. We can go grab some lunch together and spend the afternoon in the park if you'd like? I love you."


	20. Panic

So agreeing to his father's terms turned out not so great. Of course it was amazing to spend more time with Deidara without having to sneak around about it. But Itachi had known there was more to the agreement than seemed at first. He was forced to get a job at the company to "get a feel" of how it worked there. Like Itachi didn't know that already. It was crap and it would always be crap and Itachi would feel like crap while working there. At this point Itachi definitely wasn't happy, but he couldn't stop this. The thought of not being with Deidara was way too painful.

And this meant there was no other way put to do everything his father told him to do and be a little more miserable than he had wanted. But just being able to see Deidara smile could really make him feel better. And of course the soft kisses they shared and boundaries that were slowly broken more and more. They had been together for a few months now and they were teenaged boys. Of course things happened, but they all did it at their own pace and they felt comfortable that way. No one was pressured into anything and it felt exciting and scary all at the same time.

Now they were lying in Deidara's bed, gazing up at the ceiling after a make-out session that had left them both breathless. Hands had wondered to place they hadn't gone before and some pieces of clothing had found the floor. Heart beats were still racing even after they had parted a few minutes ago, but the thought alone was enough to get them excited.

These moments made Itachi not think about the agreement and just enjoy his time with Deidara. Mind blank and just move as he was supposed to. It was difficult and even Deidara had seen the slight change in behaviour. But it wasn't like the blonde was able to voice his worries and as long as Deidara didn't, then Itachi wouldn't talk. Uchihas didn't talk about feelings and certainly not feelings when it could break everything apart.

The first one to eventually move was Deidara, with a blush buttoning up his tight black jeans again and then going in search for his shirt. Itachi just sat up against the headboard and watched the blonde move through his room, coming back with both the raven's shirt and jeans, offering them as he tried hiding his face behind his long blond bangs. It wasn't Itachi's fault that Deidara was the one that stripped him faster than the other way around.

But since Deidara seemed to be embarrassed enough it was time for Itachi to put his clothes back on and change the atmosphere a little bit. But that didn't mean Itachi would smirk as he noticed the blue eyes checking him out once more as slowly his bare skin was covered again. 'Like what you see?' he teased lightly and Deidara blushed more, slapping the raven against the shoulder, meaning something like "shut up".

A soft chuckle left Itachi's lips and before Deidara could react again, the raven had his arms wrapped around the blonde's waist and had his head on Deidara's shoulder, his chest pressed against the blonde's back. He gave a soft kiss on Deidara's cheek and then just hugged him close, loving the feeling of having his boyfriend in his arms. It just made everything easier to deal with or something.

But the moment was abruptly broken when Deidara walked out of his arms and over to the door. A sweet smile formed on the swollen kissed red lips as he opened it and disappeared without signing anything. Deidara was probably getting something to eat was what Itachi expected, but it suddenly felt very lonely. He hadn't told the blonde the entire thing he had agreed to, so Deidara had no idea what was really making him feel so miserable. It was for the best, because Deidara would immediately insist on fixing things and that would make it worse. His father would forbid him to see the other again and then it was all over. His misery would be even worse.

Sighing softly he flopped down on the bed and closed his eyes, a tired hand rubbing over his face. Now that he was alone with his thoughts again, he was only thinking about what he would have to do once he got home again. He would need to do some homework and then do some research for the company, because he was giving some kind of assignment to check how everything was going. Like he even knew what he had to do. He hadn't studied for this or anything. Shouldn't you go to college first before you even know these things?

So he would have to leave in about an hour, certainly not later, and then he would have enough time to arrange all this. But Deidara would be angry, because he had only been here a little over an hour. Even if they were allowed to see each other now, time seemed to be slipping away. It wasn't until now that Itachi actually realised they spend less time together than before. But now if he had graduated from college, they could actually be together and maybe live together, as long as Itachi didn't show off his relationship… Somewhere he knew his father was still trying to arrange a marriage with a woman he had never met before. Because it had worked for mother and him, it would work for him as well apparently.

Itachi had no idea how long he had been alone in Deidara's room, but the more time passed, the more the pressure on his chest intensified and at some point his breathing had come in harsh puffs and his vision was turning blurry. Were the walls closing in on him? His heart rate was off the chart and he felt like he would explode at any moment now. What the hell was going on?

The door opened and casually Deidara walked in with a bowl of popcorn and some drinks, but let it all drop when he noticed Itachi. He rushed to his side, but had no idea what to do and he couldn't call for help. In desperation tears started to flow from his eyes, but he knew he had to run downstairs to actually get someone to help. So quickly he went and a few minutes later Minato came up as well.

Deidara stood still in the doorway, afraid to do anything and afraid something bad was happening to Itachi. But Minato did see what was going on. He brought the teen up and made him sit, his head between his legs to steady himself a little better. The rush started to fade from his body, but his breathing still wasn't calming down, instead worsening rapidly. He practically sucked the air out of the room, trying to get more and more oxygen.

'Deidara get me a bag of some sort, quickly!' And with that Deidara fled from the room in search for a bag, but he wasn't even sure what he was getting anymore and he panicked when he couldn't find anything and before he could do anything Naruto had apparently heard. The bag was brought over by his little brother and pressed against Itachi's lips. Breathing in and out the same air Itachi's breathing seemed to calm down slowly and soon he could hold the back to his own lips.

This had never happened before, but it scared the hell out of him. What was going on here? A hand was rubbed through his hair and as he looked up with tired eyes he noticed Minato smiling softly at him. He wasn't sure how to respond to this. So he just sent his eyes back down and tried to relax a little. He really did feel exhausted and now he was sure he wouldn't be able to finish all the work he was supposed to do.

Slowly he brought the bag away from his lips and took a deep breath, the oxygen prickling in his lungs. 'You had a panic attack,' Minato stated simply, letting the two other blondes in the room also know what had happened. Itachi wasn't sure what that really meant, but he was too tired to ask. When his eyes fell on Deidara he noticed the blonde looked very scared and kept his distance still. But he needed his boyfriend now, so he motioned for the blonde to join him on the bed. 'Something on your mind, Itachi?' Minato questioned as Deidara carefully sat down beside him, Itachi immediately pressing his forehead against the blonde's shoulder and inhaling the comforting scent.

In response he shook his head, not wanting to tell what had really been on his mind. The stress of life was getting to him, he was aware of that, but he would pull through. Everything to be able to stay with Deidara.

'Itachi, I am very aware on what kind of deal you made with your father and if that is what is causing your panic attack, then I need you to tell me,' Minato said sternly, the real father side coming out. But still Itachi didn't want to say anything. His eyes narrowed slightly and his lips turned into a thin line. How could Minato have guessed so easily what was going on? 'Itachi Uchiha, you tell me what is causing this or I'll have a talk with your father nonetheless.'

Okay, that got his attention. First the use of his last name and then also the threat. He knew that if Minato talked to his father now it would all fall down the gutter and they would move instantly. Fugaku wasn't very fond of this city anyway and only stayed, because Sasuke wanted to, but he would not care one bit if something like this happened. Sasuke would get over it. 'Work stress,' Itachi hissed out, not wanting to give it more explanation. This could even be considered as homework stress, so it might still be saved.

Lazily Minato sat down beside the two teens and just stared out in front of him. Naruto had disappeared already, bored with the conversation. Itachi was completely still, feeling like he was being cornered until he broke down and spill. 'You know I am also aware that you are working for your father right now and I also did some research on you. It seemed you were quite the rebellious type until you came here. It's not really your dream to follow in your father's footsteps, is it now?' Stupid man seeing right through everything.

Pulling himself off Deidara's shoulder he finally looked at Minato, a glare lying in his eyes. 'Does it matter what I want? There is only one thing I want more than not working for my father and that is being with your son, so I made a decision and I will stick to it. This was what you agreed to and it is what I agreed to, so now we will move on and I will take over Uchiha Inc. when I am old enough and after that I will make Deidara's life as comfortable as possible. So what can you possibly have against it?' He had stepped over the line. He had challenged an adult and he would get punished in some sort of way. It was what happened when he was with his father, so it shouldn't be different with Minato.

But the man just stayed seated as the blue eyes moved away from Itachi's face towards something behind the raven. And as Itachi turned to see what it was, he was slapped in the face, hard. A teary eyed blonde ran from the room and slammed the door behind him, leaving his lover flabbergasted at what had just happened.

And then Minato smirked. 'You really don't know Deidara that well, huh?' he mocked. 'It may have been your decision to put up with it all, but Deidara would rather see you live a happy life without him, than be miserable unless you were alone with him. He cares a lot, Itachi. And you should give him more credit sometimes.'

It stayed silent for a while as Minato just eyed Itachi and the raven felt rather defeated. So what was he supposed to do now? He now could be with the one he loved, but he chose something that his lover didn't agree with. Now what? Should he take back the decision and break it off with the blonde?

'First of all I think it's time that you quit your job and let your father know you are not taking over the company.' Immediately Itachi wanted to respond, not agreeing at all, but Minato lifted his hand to shut him up and continued. 'And then I will have another talk with your father and we'll see what comes out of it. Just trust me, Itachi. I'll fix this.'

And somehow Itachi believed him.


	21. Two options

So Minato had fixed this, huh? Well, Itachi definitely didn't agree when he got home and found his father waiting for him in the hallway. And after that the fight had begun. Things had been shouted back and forth and Itachi had done his best to convince his father, to make him change his mind.

But it didn't work at all. Minato had not solved anything. Instead he had made it worse and now Itachi was packing his stuff. All of his stuff. It was over. They were moving and then he would never be able to see Deidara again. His father would make sure they couldn't get in contact anymore. This really was the worst thing that could've happened. He should've just sucked it up and do whatever his father wanted him to. He would take over the company and earn great money and make Deidara the happiest he could be.

Too bad it was all a dream now. Itachi's mind was blank as he got everything into boxes. It was pretty amazing how his father had arranged everything on such a short notice. He had even made sure to get his bodyguard here and make sure that Itachi was actually packing instead of sneaking out or whatever. There really was no choice. Itachi was sure his life in this new town would be filled with even more rules and eventually he would become his father's puppet and do everything he was told to do.

There wasn't much that held any significance in his room. He hadn't lived here for very long. Hadn't even made it through the first year. How long had he and Deidara even been together? Only a few months. They did pass the six months though since they had celebrated it at Sasori's house. His very first love and he had hoped his very last. Maybe it even still would be his last, because he was pretty sure he would not love the woman his father would pick out for him. And he would never be trusted to pick out his own partner again, not after this failure, as his father called it.

The last few things were thrown in a bag, the things he would need first. His phone was most important. Now he still had the opportunity to text Deidara as much as possible. At least his father had no knowledge about the extra phone he had gotten before, so it wasn't taken away yet. He knew Deidara was hurting and every sweet text he was receiving now went straight through his heart. Maybe they should just stop talking, but it was like a drug. He needed Deidara.

"We'll make it through this. Don't worry, we do have a future."

"I love you no matter what and your dad won't stop me. I will be close to you again."

"Only you can make me happy, so I will wait on you for as long as necessary."

And then the surprising text came. Something that didn't fit what he had received before and Itachi read it as he had brought the last box of stuff down to the van his father had rented. Reading it again it still didn't make sense, but he could feel the spark of hope forming in his chest.

"Dad figured out something! We'll be right over. Don't go anywhere!"

What could Minato possibly have figured out? And not going anywhere? They were ready to go and father definitely didn't like waiting. How could he delay this? Frantically he whipped his head around, trying to find something and then he noticed his little brother still struggling with his game console, taking it out with care. His father's eyebrow was already twitching in annoyance and Itachi was only going to make it worse.

Smoothly he walked over to his brother and took the console from him. 'You should pack this with more care, Sasuke. You don't want it to break during the car ride, do you?' His black eyes went wide and he frantically shook his head.

'Do something, Itachi! I need this!' Quite sad, but that was really how Sasuke thought about it. Well, what can you do about a thirteen year old boy? A lot, but his parents weren't doing anything and Itachi was definitely not going to raise him. His little brother could probably use a friend like Naruto, although the blonde was quite of a brat. Quite the opposite they were from one another. But they wouldn't have a chance to become friends now. None of them would be friends anymore, unless Minato really came with a plan.

Walking inside with the game console, Itachi could hear his father groaning in displeasure, but he ignored it. He would delay their leave as long as possible and he would start with securing this damn thing. 'Don't worry, Sasuke. We will just put it in some paper towels and then wrap a blanket around it.' Sasuke looked pleased, running ahead towards the kitchen and coming back with the roll of paper towels. Slowly I started rolling it around, layering the console in paper towels and then went in search for a blanket. Slowly of course. He took as much time as he needed and hopefully it would be enough. The Uzumaki family lived not that far away, but it still was about a twenty minute drive.

As the brothers slowly walked out again, Itachi could just see a car parking right next to the gate. They were here! His heart was pounding in his chest as he now a little quicker walked towards the end of their driveway and then saw that Minato had already gotten out of the car and was facing his father. Silence stretched on and Itachi shoved the console back into Sasuke's arms, ignoring the glare he received after that. His eyes moved over to the car noticing Deidara was bouncing in the car excitedly, blue staring at his father's back. Well, he would soon see what this plan really was.

'I do not understand why you bothered to come over. We have discussed enough, Minato and we will be out of your hair soon enough. Go home and take care of your boys and leave mine out of this,' and with that Fugaku turned around and walked over to the car. 'Come on Sasuke, Itachi. We are leaving.' Slowly Sasuke walked over to the car, keeping his head hung low, but curiously glancing up at Minato as he passed the blond male. Of course the brat hadn't paid attention and had no idea what was really going on or why they were moving this time. It was just Itachi's fault again as far as he was concerned.

But Minato wouldn't be stopped by just those empty words. His eyes for a moment went to Sasuke, thinking a little longer about what he was supposed to say. And then he slowly unfolded a paper he had been holding in his hand. Itachi tried seeing what was on there, but with the warning glare he received he moved away from Minato and walked over to the car. 'I don't think we have discussed enough, Fugaku,' he started sternly and walked over to the man. 'The way you have been treating Itachi can be seen as neglect and therefore as abuse. I have not used my job as a support before, but this time I do not see another way. If you leave with Itachi now, then I will make sure to send child services to your house and I'm sure you will have be facing a lawsuit. You might even leave both your children and of course your good name.'

Silence settled in then and Fugaku was only staring at Minato. Anger was radiating off his body, but he had a problem now. Child abuse was serious and the Uchiha name would definitely be disgraced when something like that came out. The papers would eat it up and soon the company would suffer losses. 'So what do you offer then?' Fugaku almost growled out, his eyes narrowed.

Minato smiled politely and walked over to Fugaku, offering the paper up he had been holding. Black eyes scanned the paper and his brow furrowed more and more as he got to the end of the page. 'As you can see I am offering two things here. You can stay and let your son be whoever he wants to be, including seeing my son openly and getting a job in a department he likes. Or me and Kushina will take custody of Itachi and take care of him as if he were our own son.' He stepped a little closer then, getting in Fugaku's personal space as he whispered in the man's ear. 'Of course I realise Itachi is already seventeen and adopting someone at that age is not necessary, but then you should not forget that he can also just run away and really screw up his life. This is probably the best solution for you.' Stepping back and polite smile back on his lips Minato stepped back, waiting on Fugaku's reply.

Itachi still couldn't believe it. Adopt him? That was the craziest thing he had ever heard, but also amazing. He would be close to Deidara every day and he would actually have a family that loved him. Would his father actually do that? Give him up and all the dreams that his father had for him as well. Not that the man really cared about him in the first place. It was his mother's wish to get children in the first place, so it wouldn't matter. And mother wasn't saying anything right now either. But that was probably because she wasn't doing so well. But it wasn't Itachi's responsibility and he couldn't help but pray that this would actually happen.

Fugaku stayed silent for a little longer, only staring back at the blue eyed male. And then he fished a pen out of his pocket. 'Where do a sign?' he asked plainly and as Minato pointed it out, Fugaku now used his back and smoothly placed his signature on the form. Handing the form back to Minato he started turning around to walk away. 'Well, good luck with your new son and I expect some other paperwork to come my way. You already got the address I saw.' And that was how his father said goodbye.

This time Sasuke had been paying attention, but didn't understand any of it. Being pushed towards the car he kept turning around. 'Isn't Itachi coming?' he asked, but was only answered with silence and then he got desperate. 'Itachi has to come too! You can't stay here!'

It was awful to see how Sasuke struggled against their father's hold, but it needed to happen. Itachi felt guilty, but he needed to stay. Fugaku wasn't as hard on Sasuke as he had been on Itachi. He didn't know the reason, but he knew Sasuke would be fine there.

He watched his family drive off in the van, his heart still pounding in his chest. Somewhere he still didn't believe this was really happening, but as he felt the hand came down on his shoulder and he looked up at the smiling face of his new father, he knew he would soon be very happy.

At home they celebrated and everyone seemed so happy. Itachi couldn't even remember the last time he had smiled this much, but he knew his days would be filled with just as many. As long as he could see his beautiful boyfriend and built an amazing life with the blonde.

And that night they celebrated in another way as well, taking the very last step in their relationship and neither boy regretted a thing. Because this was forever.


	22. Epilogue

It had never really been Minato's intention to actually adopt Itachi, although he did not mind at all. The contract had been lying on his desk for a few weeks already. Ever since he realised how Itachi was treated at home. He hadn't wanted to use it, but eventually Kushina forced him, telling him it was the only way to get Itachi a happy life. So in a rush they both signed the form and Minato was on his way, Deidara going along to see what would happen.

His intention had been that Fugaku would finally realise what he had been doing. That he was ruining his son's childhood and that he should change. That there was a better way to deal with all of this and that you should enjoy the time you have with your children instead of forcing them into lives they don't want. But much to his surprise Fugaku had signed the form as well and left his eldest son behind, uncaring where he would end up after that. He didn't show it to Itachi, not wanting him to feel unwanted again, but he felt truly sad about the whole situation. How can a man not care for his child and just abandon him without a word? Without a hug even. And then Sasuke who would be without a big brother now. Hopefully the boy would have a better life there than Itachi had.

But Itachi's life had gotten much better as he stayed with the Uzumakis. It still felt strange to call Minato dad and Kushina mom, especially when he was used to use father and mother, but it grew on him and eventually became normal. The occasional hugs got less awkward, as were the kind words sometimes spoken to him. He had never felt so much love before and sometimes he wanted to crawl away from it, afraid what would happen if he felt too much. But after a few years he was a true Uzumaki. Happy, loveable and nice. And also not as rebellious as he had been before when living with his father and mother.

And now that Itachi had the time to actually make his own decisions, he did well in school, fighting for something he loved doing. He had needed some time to figure it out, but eventually he decided he wanted to be a teacher. All because of the way Sasori had taught him art. He wouldn't be an art teacher, no he still sucked at that. But English was something he liked and that was what he would be studying for soon. Because two years had passed now and it was time to go to college.

First moving time though. Deidara and Itachi were both moving away for college and would be rooming together. They had lived with each other for two years already, so it wouldn't be much of a change, except for them being all alone and having only to share their time together. And Hidan since he joined them as well and would not be leaving them alone. Hopefully the guy would get a girlfriend soon, because college boys had to spend their time on something else as well…

So their stuff was packed and they were on their way to dorm now. The city looked quite nice, crowded with people and also a lot of students. This would be great for the both of them and Deidara was already happily bouncing up and down in his seat, looking at the window and smiling at everything that seemed appealing to him. Itachi could only smile at the sweet sight, it reminding him why he loved the blonde so much. He had never seen anyone so happy as his boyfriend.

Itachi's signing had gotten a lot better and he could now smoothly reply in signs whenever Deidara signed something at him. The best part was that it was now almost like a secret language since almost no one understood. It was great to annoy Hidan with it, although the beating he received afterwards wasn't that great.

"Can we stop for ice cream?" Deidara signed and Itachi quickly leaned forward to ask Minato who was driving. They were sitting in the back while Naruto had shouted shotgun right before they left. The two students just hadn't cared much and had taken the backseat. The car was parked and when they got out they set foot for the first time in their new home tome.

Itachi glanced around with a smile on his face, right until his eyes landed on a very familiar form. Someone who hadn't seen in two years. He had gotten so big, but still looked like the brat he was.

'Sasuke?' he carefully called out and black eyes snapped his way. Shock ran through the younger raven's body and before Itachi knew it, his body was wrapped in a tight hug, Sasuke's head hidden in his shoulder.

It was strange to hug his little brother. Not just because they hadn't seen each other in two years, but also because Sasuke had never been the kind of person to hug. But now he was desperately clinging to Itachi, as if he would disappear at any moment now. 'Don't leave again, Itachi. Stay this time,' Sasuke said softly, his voice breaking in the middle.

At least Itachi could promise him this, because he would be staying for a few years at least. 'I won't go, Sasuke. Don't worry.' They kept on hugging for a while until eventually Deidara placed his hand on Sasuke's shoulder. The raven haired teen pulled back, his black eyes blinking up at the smiling blonde who then pulled him in a hug as well. That was just how sweet little Dei really was. And Sasuke couldn't help but respond.

And then another blonde decided to ruin the moment. 'Hey, I see you are just as a cry baby as before when I beat you at your games.' And with a smug look Naruto passed by, his arms behind his head as he moved towards the ice cream shop.

'Shut up, loser!' Sasuke called out, following after Naruto where they started arguing about who was better at shooting zombies or whatever.

It felt kind of amazing how everything fell into place like this. Itachi finally had the life he wanted. He finally could make his own decisions. The future he wanted was right there in his grasp. The right job, the right love and even his little brother right around the corner.

Who would've thought that moving to a new town because of his rebellion would work out this well and a voiceless boy would finally make him realise what was missing in his life. The love he felt wasn't able to express with words, but thankfully that wasn't necessary.

Deidara left him voiceless

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovely readers of this story. The story has come to an end and most of you already read this and maybe already answered, but for the once who didn't, I'd like to ask as well.
> 
> So I was emailing with the writer who wants to help me get one of my stories published, which is Dutch, so no you haven't read it and it's not fanfiction anyway. But I asked her what she thought of writing a book where the main character was gay and she thought it was a good idea. So I have been thinking about it a bit and thought well this story seems quite popular and I also believe it has potential. I will change it a bit and add some more drama, because 300 pages with only fluff will bore people to death, but the idea in general can really work, right?
> 
> What I am actually trying to ask is, would you be willing to spend money on this story and do you think others will like the idea as well?
> 
> So if you could answer me in a review or just send me a pm, I would love you to death! Even if it's a note saying it won't be a good idea, because I want to write something that's actually worth while. If I am going to do this, a lot more time will go into this and yeah, don't want to waste it of course XD I'm definitely considering writing it in English, so I will all keep you posted on how it goes, but it will probably be a while before I even start ;) Want to get the first book published first!
> 
> Some things I will add is why Deidara cannot speak and also make it last longer where Itachi doesn't like Deidara. And of course different names and looks a little as well. Won't be fanfiction of course ;) Some other things might change, but these are the most important things. The drama will just be more prominent instead of the fluff.
> 
> Thank you again for reading this story and I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have :)


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